Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Belem

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Luis and in Belem: $832 and $868 a month, rent and utilities included.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Luis and in Belem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sao Luis and in Belem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Sao Luis versus $868 in Belem.

Sao Luis $832
Belem $868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sao Luis versus $1,315 in Belem.

Sao Luis $1,317
Belem $1,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Sao Luis versus $1,763 in Belem.

Sao Luis $1,802
Belem $1,763

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 4% less than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 39% lower, Belem 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 R$33.64

$4.66 R$23.64

42.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.14 R$203

$19.47 R$98.7

106.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 R$34.93

$7.05 R$35.72

-2.27%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R$10.80

$1.78 R$9.04

19.66%

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

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.92 R$4.67

32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.44 R$2.25

61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.87

$1.59 R$8.04

22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 R$12.31

$2.31 R$11.73

5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.24 R$6.27

-15.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.06

$2.32 R$11.77

-14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.27 R$6.44

-10.24%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.21

$1.95 R$9.87

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 R$49.77

$8.40 R$42.57

16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.87

$4.17 R$21.13

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$39.99

$7.01 R$35.51

12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.20 R$11.14

-1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.02

$1.25 R$6.31

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.40 R$7.08

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R$8.58

$1.53 R$7.74

10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$0.96 R$4.89

44.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$0.57 R$2.89

122.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R$4.46

$1.22 R$6.20

-27.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$1.28 R$6.51

-39.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$11.97

$2.57 R$13.00

-8.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 R$40.90

$9.67 R$49.00

-16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.36 R$6.91

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$11.42

$4.76 R$24.11

-52.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.30

$0.84 R$4.26

1.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.93 R$192

$31.66 R$161

19.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.07 R$5.42

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.14 R$5.79

-19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.35 R$42.31

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.21 R$6.15

2.48%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$22.2K R$112.4K

7.41%

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

$30.7K R$155.9K

$29.8K R$151.1K

3.12%

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

$95.3 R$483

$88.9 R$450

7.20%

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

$17.60 R$89.2

$10.49 R$53.2

67.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 R$107

$28.62 R$145

-26.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R$103

$19.73 R$100.0

3.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 R$76.4

$36.19 R$183

-58.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.25

$7.28 R$36.92

-7.14%

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

$184 R$935

$107 R$541

72.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,903 R$14.7K

$3,276 R$16.6K

-11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 R$327

$29.20 R$148

120.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 R$275

$40.81 R$207

32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 R$386

$73.2 R$371

4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$62.9 R$319

-5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$488 R$2,475

-26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 R$930

$266 R$1,349

-31.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 R$2,923

$781 R$3,958

-26.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,635

$475 R$2,408

-32.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 R$7,749

$1,928 R$9,773

-20.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 R$3,633

$1,312 R$6,652

-45.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,998

$380 R$1,929

3.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.7%

Belem

$207 23.9% 5% $9.9

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$184 22.1%

Belem

$266 30.7% 45% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$134 16.1%

Belem

$128 14.7% 4.5% $6

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.6%

Belem

$98 11.3% 19.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.8%

Belem

$93 10.7% 18.9% $22

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$47 5.6%

Belem

$42 4.8% 10.8% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4.1%

Belem

$34 4% 1.1% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Sao Luis and $488 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Luis pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Sao Luis vs $19.00 in Belem. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $207, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

1,303,403

💱 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

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Sao Luis Belem 480 km

From you

Sao Luis
Belem

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

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

Sao Luis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Sao Luis, 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: $360 in Sao Luis versus $488 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Luis runs roughly 20% less than in Belem. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $184 in Sao Luis versus $107 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $868 in Belem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Belem. 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 4% less than in Belem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.