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 20.2% more expensive than Sao Luis without rent, and 22.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 25.2% more expensive than Sao Luis without rent, and 25.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.39 R$36.89
$4.82 R$24.07
53.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.52 R$177
$30.37 R$152
16.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.12 R$30.55
$7.12 R$35.54
-14.04%
Cappuccino
$1.97 R$9.84
$2.05 R$10.24
-3.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 R$6.38
$0.96 R$4.80
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 R$4.17
$0.59 R$2.92
42.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.83 R$9.13
$1.87 R$9.35
-2.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 R$13.73
$3.27 R$16.33
-15.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R$5.52
$1.03 R$5.15
7.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 R$8.47
$1.91 R$9.51
-10.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 R$7.09
$0.97 R$4.84
46.39%
Eggs
$1.93 R$9.65
$1.92 R$9.58
0.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.07 R$40.25
$9.35 R$46.64
-13.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 R$18.10
$3.70 R$18.47
-1.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.12 R$40.51
$7.39 R$36.86
9.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 R$11.94
$1.89 R$9.44
26.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 R$8.06
$1.27 R$6.36
27.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 R$7.60
$0.97 R$4.83
56.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R$7.80
$1.34 R$6.69
16.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 R$6.50
$1.12 R$5.57
16.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 R$5.49
$1.24 R$6.17
-11.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 R$3.46
$0.75 R$3.74
-8.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.05
$0.60 R$3.00
1.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 R$9.94
$2.04 R$10.20
-2.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.13 R$40.56
$8.21 R$40.95
-0.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 R$6.25
$1.11 R$5.53
12.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 R$10.66
$1.94 R$9.70
10.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.28 R$6.40
$0.72 R$3.61
77.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.05 R$195
$35.01 R$175
11.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 R$5.60
$0.88 R$4.41
27.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 R$3.50
$0.49 R$2.44
42.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.53 R$37.57
$6.26 R$31.26
20.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 R$5.59
$1.00 R$5.00
12.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K R$104.1K
$17.0K R$85.0K
22.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K R$136.6K
$25.8K R$128.9K
5.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 R$517
$84.2 R$420
23.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.06 R$60.2
$17.46 R$87.1
-30.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.12 R$95.4
$16.38 R$81.7
16.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.90 R$129
$18.12 R$90.4
42.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.90 R$119
$15.36 R$76.6
55.60%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 R$32.94
$6.10 R$30.42
8.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$542 R$2,706
$206 R$1,029
163.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K R$57.1K
$4,406 R$22.0K
159.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.51 R$227
$43.71 R$218
4.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.80 R$209
$47.99 R$239
-12.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.8 R$373
$53.5 R$267
39.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.6 R$302
$53.2 R$265
13.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 R$2,176
$397 R$1,983
9.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 R$1,654
$210 R$1,048
57.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$849 R$4,237
$515 R$2,571
64.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$568 R$2,832
$297 R$1,482
91.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,876 R$14.3K
$1,558 R$7,775
84.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,330 R$6,637
$738 R$3,684
80.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Sao Luis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$536 R$2,673
$386 R$1,925
38.87%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: April 12, 2026

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

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