Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Luis Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Luis

😐 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 0 than Sao Luis without rent, and 20.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 2.2% cheaper than Sao Luis without rent, and 31.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.1 R$39.4
$4.89 R$27.13
45.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.72 R$198
$30.1 R$167
18.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.47 R$35.9
$7.42 R$41.2
-12.80%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R$10.97
$2.1 R$11.68
-5.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$7.28
$0.96 R$5.33
36.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.9 R$4.97
$0.55 R$3.03
63.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 R$10.08
$1.85 R$10.26
-1.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 R$15.11
$3.29 R$18.27
-17.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 R$6.19
$0.98 R$5.42
14.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 R$9.48
$1.89 R$10.51
-9.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.82
$1.03 R$5.69
36.89%
Eggs
$2.04 R$11.32
$1.95 R$10.82
4.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 R$43.53
$9.14 R$50.7
-14.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 R$20.17
$3.7 R$20.53
-1.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.25 R$45.78
$7.49 R$41.59
10.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 R$13.25
$1.86 R$10.35
28.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.58
$1.21 R$6.72
28.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R$8.15
$1 R$5.52
47.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R$8.43
$1.41 R$7.82
7.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.17
$1.11 R$6.19
16.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R$6.45
$1.19 R$6.61
-2.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.73 R$4.08
-13.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.41
$0.61 R$3.36
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 R$10.8
$2.03 R$11.28
-3.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.34 R$40.77
$7.26 R$40.32
1.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 R$7
$1.15 R$6.39
9.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 R$11.67
$1.9 R$10.54
10.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.3 R$7.2
$0.78 R$4.33
66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.57 R$214
$35.26 R$196
9.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R$6.28
$0.86 R$4.77
31.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 R$3.85
$0.52 R$2.91
32.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.8 R$43.29
$6.37 R$35.38
22.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.87
$0.98 R$5.42
8.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R$113.5K
$17K R$94.5K
20.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K R$153.4K
$25.6K R$141.9K
8.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 R$574
$84 R$466
23.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.89 R$66
$17.2 R$95.5
-30.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.63 R$103
$16.04 R$89
16.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.89 R$144
$18.47 R$103
40.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.74 R$132
$15.45 R$85.8
53.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 R$36.47
$6.22 R$34.51
5.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 R$2,995
$211 R$1,170
156.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K R$65.3K
$4,323 R$24K
172.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.33 R$252
$43.91 R$244
3.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.71 R$231
$47.5 R$264
-12.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 R$415
$52.4 R$291
42.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 R$334
$53.5 R$297
12.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 R$2,475
$394 R$2,186
13.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$333 R$1,846
$213 R$1,180
56.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$861 R$4,780
$526 R$2,917
63.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$573 R$3,182
$296 R$1,645
93.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,021 R$11.2K
$1,416 R$7,862
42.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,183 R$6,568
$670 R$3,721
76.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 R$2,509
$393 R$2,180
15.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
10.92
3.75%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sao Luis: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.