Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $756 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sao Luis

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Sao Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $756 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Sao Luis $756

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,224 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Sao Luis $1,224

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,691 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Sao Luis $1,691

Cape Town costs about 102% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Sao Luis is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$5.91 R$32.42

103.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$36.72 R$201

16.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.43 R$35.28

-4.35%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.97 R$10.80

20.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.17 R$6.40

8.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.63 R$3.44

49.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.89 R$10.36

56.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.18 R$11.98

69.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.98 R$5.39

34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.81 R$9.91

-33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.02 R$5.57

115.69%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.00 R$10.97

55.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.19 R$50.4

-5.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.93 R$21.56

75.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$7.01 R$38.48

32.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.02 R$11.10

-9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.33 R$7.28

46.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.14 R$6.26

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.59 R$8.75

34.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.23 R$6.78

28.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.19 R$6.53

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.78 R$4.27

73.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.66 R$3.60

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.16 R$11.85

65.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.78 R$42.70

-22.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.22 R$6.68

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.17 R$11.92

0.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.80 R$4.38

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$35.84 R$197

69.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.78 R$4.29

19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.58 R$3.16

55.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.13 R$6.20

36.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.0K R$120.5K

61.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.2K R$154.8K

18.29%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$117 R 1,929

$87.4 R$479

34.01%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.71 R 424

$16.62 R$91.2

54.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$19.92 R$109

97.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$18.36 R$101

181.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$14.50 R$79.6

-21.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.35 R$40.35

20.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$308 R 5,069

$111 R$611

176.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,603 R$14.3K

212.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$63.1 R$346

-9.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$57.3 R$314

-44.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$77.0 R$423

50.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$59.0 R$323

70.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$317 R$1,740

230.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$148 R$814

350.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$487 R$2,674

281.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$306 R$1,676

360.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,633 R$8,960

47.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$590 R$3,238

165.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$362 R$1,988

349.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Sao Luis

$148 19.6% 77.8% $521

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Sao Luis

$182 24.1% 18.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Sao Luis

$124 16.4% 32% $58

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Sao Luis

$111 14.7% 36.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Sao Luis

$115 15.3% 16.2% $22

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sao Luis

$43 5.6% 40.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Sao Luis

$33 4.4% 52.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $317 in Sao Luis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $37 in Sao Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $182 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,037,775

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sao Luis 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sao Luis

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cape Town vs Sao Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 102% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,135 in Sao Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Luis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $756 in Sao Luis. That makes Sao Luis about 50% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Sao Luis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Sao Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Luis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Luis. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.