Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $756 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,936 per month in Porto vs $756 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Porto $1,936
Sao Luis $756

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Porto vs $1,224 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Porto $2,902
Sao Luis $1,224

A family of three spends $3,869 per month in Porto vs $1,691 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Porto $3,869
Sao Luis $1,691

Porto costs about 156% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Porto sits 43% above the global median, while Sao Luis is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.53 €12.94

$5.91 R$32.42

145.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.12

$36.72 R$201

50.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.99

$6.43 R$35.28

74.49%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.46

$1.97 R$10.80

40.10%

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

$2.22 €1.98

$1.17 R$6.40

89.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.63 R$3.44

107.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.89 R$10.36

72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.09

$2.18 R$11.98

110.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.98 R$5.39

16.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.81 R$9.91

-3.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.02 R$5.57

44.12%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.64

$2.00 R$10.97

104.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 €10.36

$9.19 R$50.4

26.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$3.93 R$21.56

76.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.83

$7.01 R$38.48

137.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.02 R$11.10

9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.33 R$7.28

26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.14 R$6.26

65.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.59 R$8.75

57.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.23 R$6.78

43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.19 R$6.53

56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

$0.78 R$4.27

105.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.66 R$3.60

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$2.16 R$11.85

212.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.96

$7.78 R$42.70

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.22 R$6.68

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.17 R$11.92

23.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.80 R$4.38

98.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.13

$35.84 R$197

25.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$0.78 R$4.29

407.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.58 R$3.16

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.83

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.13 R$6.20

92.04%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$22.0K R$120.5K

51.79%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$28.2K R$154.8K

28.47%

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

$163 €145

$87.4 R$479

86.94%

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

$14.92 €13.29

$16.62 R$91.2

-10.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 €30.81

$19.92 R$109

73.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 €38.90

$18.36 R$101

137.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.68

$14.50 R$79.6

6.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.02

$7.35 R$40.35

22.59%

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

$557 €496

$111 R$611

400.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$2,603 R$14.3K

345.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.9

$63.1 R$346

65.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.84 €29.24

$57.3 R$314

-42.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.5

$77.0 R$423

21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.3

$59.0 R$323

73.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,180

$317 R$1,740

317.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €864

$148 R$814

553.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 €2,027

$487 R$2,674

367.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,517

$306 R$1,676

457.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,724

$1,633 R$8,960

224.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,523

$590 R$3,238

570.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,443

$362 R$1,988

347.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

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

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$970 50.1%

Sao Luis

$148 19.6% 84.7% $822

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$259 13.4%

Sao Luis

$182 24.1% 29.9% $77

Eating Out

Porto

$223 11.5%

Sao Luis

$111 14.7% 50.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11%

Sao Luis

$124 16.4% 41.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.8%

Sao Luis

$115 15.3% 23.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$62 3.2%

Sao Luis

$33 4.4% 46.4% $29

Getting Around

Porto

$59 3.1%

Sao Luis

$43 5.6% 28.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,325 in Porto 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 Porto are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Porto versus $37 in Sao Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $182 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

3 h behind Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porto Sao Luis 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
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

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

Porto costs about 156% 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 $2,904 per month in Porto 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 $1,325 in Porto.

Kindergarten costs $557 per month in Porto and $111 in Sao Luis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Porto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Porto at $1,936. In Sao Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porto 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, Porto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.