Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $832 in Sao Luis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Sao Luis $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,317 in Sao Luis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Sao Luis $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,802 in Sao Luis.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Sao Luis $1,802

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 53% more expensive than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Sao Luis 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$6.64 R$33.64

41.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$40.14 R$203

-0.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$6.89 R$34.93

21.04%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.13 R$10.80

7.51%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.22 R$6.20

30.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.71 R$3.60

42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.95 R$9.87

9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.43 R$12.31

50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.05 R$5.33

7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.98 R$10.06

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.14 R$5.80

9.65%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.21 R$11.21

1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.82 R$49.77

11.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.31 R$21.87

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$7.89 R$39.99

21.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.17 R$11.02

31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.38 R$7.02

31.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.20 R$6.08

31.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.69 R$8.58

8.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.39 R$7.03

-13.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.27 R$6.45

-16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.88 R$4.46

-14.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.77 R$3.88

-11.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.36 R$11.97

24.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.07 R$40.90

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.27 R$6.44

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.25 R$11.42

7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.85 R$4.30

10.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$37.93 R$192

32.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.95 R$4.83

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.92 R$4.66

-9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.24 R$6.29

4.03%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.8K R$120.7K

-4.35%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$30.7K R$155.9K

10.45%

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

$134 R$681

$95.3 R$483

41.02%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$17.60 R$89.2

-39.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$21.13 R$107

8.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$20.40 R$103

47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$15.06 R$76.4

109.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.76 R$34.25

14.35%

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

$584 R$2,960

$184 R$935

216.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$2,903 R$14.7K

341.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$64.5 R$327

-36.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$54.2 R$275

-9.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$76.1 R$386

-3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$59.2 R$300

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$360 R$1,824

150.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$184 R$930

187.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$577 R$2,923

131.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$322 R$1,635

131.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,529 R$7,749

161.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$717 R$3,633

117.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$394 R$1,998

62.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: 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

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Sao Luis

$184 22.1% 65.2% $344

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Sao Luis

$197 23.7% 7.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Sao Luis

$134 16.1% 20.2% $34

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Sao Luis

$122 14.6% 22% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Sao Luis

$114 13.8% 10.4% $11

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Sao Luis

$47 5.6% 21.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Sao Luis

$34 4.1% 25.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $360 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 62% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $40.00 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $197, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

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

Rio de Janeiro Sao Luis 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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

Rio de Janeiro vs Sao Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sao Luis differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $832 including rent). Sao Luis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $360 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Luis – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $832 in Sao Luis – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.