Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba 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 Curitiba and in Sao Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $832 in Sao Luis.

Curitiba $1,055
Sao Luis $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,317 in Sao Luis.

Curitiba $1,641
Sao Luis $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $1,802 in Sao Luis.

Curitiba $2,228
Sao Luis $1,802

Living in Curitiba is roughly 27% more expensive than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Sao Luis 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$6.64 R$33.64

21.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$40.14 R$203

-2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$6.89 R$34.93

26.56%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$2.13 R$10.80

23.94%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.22 R$6.20

-7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.71 R$3.60

29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$1.95 R$9.87

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$2.43 R$12.31

58.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.05 R$5.33

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.98 R$10.06

-8.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.14 R$5.80

20.18%

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$2.21 R$11.21

14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$9.82 R$49.77

2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$4.31 R$21.87

17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$7.89 R$39.99

32.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$2.17 R$11.02

-20.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.38 R$7.02

-23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.20 R$6.08

-14.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.69 R$8.58

-17.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$1.39 R$7.03

-42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$1.27 R$6.45

-37.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.88 R$4.46

-7.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$0.77 R$3.88

6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$2.36 R$11.97

24.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$8.07 R$40.90

-11.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.27 R$6.44

3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$2.25 R$11.42

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$0.85 R$4.30

37.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

$37.93 R$192

87.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$0.95 R$4.83

32.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.92 R$4.66

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.24 R$6.29

4.84%

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

$23.3K R$118.0K

$23.8K R$120.7K

-2.27%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$30.7K R$155.9K

8.46%

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

$105 R$534

$95.3 R$483

10.70%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$17.60 R$89.2

-17.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$21.13 R$107

11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$20.40 R$103

41.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

$15.06 R$76.4

33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$6.76 R$34.25

15.09%

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

$383 R$1,943

$184 R$935

107.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$2,903 R$14.7K

276.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$64.5 R$327

-10.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$54.2 R$275

1.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$76.1 R$386

24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$59.2 R$300

36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$360 R$1,824

43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$184 R$930

65.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$577 R$2,923

47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$322 R$1,635

70.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$1,529 R$7,749

61.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$717 R$3,633

143.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$394 R$1,998

74.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Sao Luis

$184 22.1% 39.6% $120

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Sao Luis

$197 23.7% 1.5% $3

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Sao Luis

$122 14.6% 20% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Sao Luis

$134 16.1% 6.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Sao Luis

$114 13.8% 11.9% $15

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Sao Luis

$47 5.6% 41.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Sao Luis

$34 4.1% 23.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Curitiba and $360 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 74% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Curitiba vs $40.00 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $197, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Sao Luis 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
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

Curitiba vs Sao Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Luis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Curitiba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $515 in Curitiba versus $360 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Luis runs roughly 87% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $383 in Curitiba versus $184 in Sao Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Luis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $832 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Luis hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.