Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Sao Luis $832
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sao Luis versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Sao Luis $1,317
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Sao Luis versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Sao Luis $1,802
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 17% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 39% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 R$33.64

$8.80 R$44.59

-24.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.14 R$203

$39.84 R$202

0.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 R$34.93

$8.26 R$41.87

-16.59%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R$10.80

$2.72 R$13.81

-21.69%

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

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.57 R$7.96

-22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$1.00 R$5.07

-29.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.33 R$11.81

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 R$12.31

$3.92 R$19.85

-38.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.09 R$5.53

-3.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.06

$2.07 R$10.52

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.36 R$6.87

-16.18%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.21

$2.43 R$12.33

-9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 R$49.77

$11.64 R$59.0

-15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.87

$4.07 R$20.62

5.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$39.99

$8.80 R$44.60

-10.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.49 R$12.64

-12.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.02

$1.48 R$7.48

-6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.34 R$6.79

-10.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R$8.58

$1.63 R$8.29

3.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.23 R$6.25

13.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.04 R$5.27

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.86 R$4.34

2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.95 R$4.80

-18.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$11.97

$2.52 R$12.77

-6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 R$40.90

$8.39 R$42.54

-3.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.31 R$6.65

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$11.42

$2.41 R$12.23

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.30

$1.01 R$5.13

-15.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.93 R$192

$35.30 R$179

7.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.10 R$5.58

-13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.93 R$4.73

-1.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.29 R$6.54

-3.88%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$23.4K R$118.8K

1.60%

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

$30.7K R$155.9K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-8.78%

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

$95.3 R$483

$96.3 R$488

-1.11%

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

$17.60 R$89.2

$12.59 R$63.8

39.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 R$107

$22.58 R$114

-6.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R$103

$33.65 R$171

-39.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 R$76.4

$27.87 R$141

-45.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.25

$7.78 R$39.43

-13.11%

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

$184 R$935

$815 R$4,133

-77.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,903 R$14.7K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-83.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 R$327

$55.4 R$281

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 R$275

$44.23 R$224

22.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 R$386

$85.0 R$431

-10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$87.8 R$445

-32.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$494 R$2,506

-27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 R$930

$282 R$1,427

-34.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 R$2,923

$1,127 R$5,711

-48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,635

$593 R$3,004

-45.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 R$7,749

$2,522 R$12.8K

-39.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 R$3,633

$1,753 R$8,885

-59.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,998

$850 R$4,310

-53.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.7%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 7.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$184 22.1%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 53.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$134 16.1%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 1.9% $2.5

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.6%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 29.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.8%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 7.3% $8.3

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$47 5.6%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 3.8% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4.1%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 45.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Sao Luis and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 116% 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 Sao Luis vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $212 per month, with Sao Luis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

2,817,381 Capital

💱 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

Sao Luis Brasilia 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis and Brasilia differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($832 vs $1,000 including rent). Sao Luis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 116% lower in Brasilia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $360 in Sao Luis versus $494 in Brasilia. 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 Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $832 per month in Sao Luis versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. 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 20% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.