Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $756 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$756

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Luis and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $756 per month in Sao Luis vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Luis $756
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,224 per month in Sao Luis vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Luis $1,224
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,691 per month in Sao Luis vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Luis $1,691
Cape Town $3,306

Sao Luis is about 50% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Luis sits 44% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 R$32.42

$12.01 R 198

-50.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.72 R$201

$42.92 R 707

-14.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 R$35.28

$6.15 R 101

4.55%

Cappuccino

$1.97 R$10.80

$2.37 R 39.04

-16.88%

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

$1.17 R$6.40

$1.27 R 20.96

-7.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.44

$0.94 R 15.46

-32.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 R$10.36

$2.96 R 48.77

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R$11.98

$3.69 R 60.8

-40.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 R$5.39

$1.32 R 21.73

-25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 R$9.91

$1.21 R 19.87

49.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.57

$2.20 R 36.26

-53.64%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.97

$3.10 R 51.1

-35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$8.73 R 144

5.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 R$21.56

$6.89 R 114

-42.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 R$38.48

$9.26 R 153

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R$11.10

$1.83 R 30.08

10.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.28

$1.95 R 32.12

-31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.26

$1.66 R 27.32

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R$8.75

$2.14 R 35.19

-25.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.78

$1.58 R 26.01

-22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.53

$1.47 R 24.29

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 R$4.27

$1.35 R 22.18

-42.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.60

$1.14 R 18.85

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 R$11.85

$3.58 R 59.0

-39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 R$42.70

$6.05 R 99.7

28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.39 R 22.95

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R$11.92

$2.18 R 35.90

-0.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.38

$1.40 R 23.02

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.84 R$197

$60.8 R 1,001

-41.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 R$4.29

$0.93 R 15.26

-16.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 R$3.16

$0.90 R 14.83

-35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$6.20

$1.54 R 25.37

-26.62%

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

$22.0K R$120.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-37.89%

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

$28.2K R$154.8K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-15.47%

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

$87.4 R$479

$117 R 1,929

-25.38%

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

$16.62 R$91.2

$25.71 R 424

-35.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.92 R$109

$39.41 R 649

-49.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.36 R$101

$51.6 R 850

-64.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.50 R$79.6

$11.35 R 187

27.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R$40.35

$8.89 R 146

-17.32%

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

$111 R$611

$308 R 5,069

-63.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,603 R$14.3K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-68.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$346

$57.4 R 946

10.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$314

$31.75 R 523

80.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 R$423

$116 R 1,911

-33.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 R$323

$101 R 1,660

-41.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 R$1,740

$1,047 R 17.2K

-69.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 R$814

$669 R 11.0K

-77.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 R$2,674

$1,861 R 30.7K

-73.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 R$1,676

$1,407 R 23.2K

-78.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,633 R$8,960

$2,410 R 39.7K

-32.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$590 R$3,238

$1,570 R 25.9K

-62.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 R$1,988

$1,630 R 26.9K

-77.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Sao Luis: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$182 24.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 22.7% $41

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$148 19.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 351% $521

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$124 16.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 47.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$115 15.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 19.3% $22

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$111 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 56.6% $63

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$43 5.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 68.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$33 4.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 110% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Sao Luis versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Sao Luis versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $223 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

5 h ahead of Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Luis Cape Town 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 102% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,135 per month in Sao Luis and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Luis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $756 in Sao Luis and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Sao Luis about 50% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Sao Luis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Sao Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Luis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Luis. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.