Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
Learn more

Curitiba Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,055 in Curitiba.

Sao Luis $832
Curitiba $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sao Luis versus $1,641 in Curitiba.

Sao Luis $1,317
Curitiba $1,641

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

Sao Luis $1,802
Curitiba $2,228

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 21% less than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 39% lower, Curitiba 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 R$33.64

$8.08 R$40.95

-17.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.14 R$203

$39.04 R$198

2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 R$34.93

$8.72 R$44.21

-20.99%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R$10.80

$2.64 R$13.40

-19.32%

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

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.13 R$5.74

7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.92 R$4.68

-22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.73 R$13.84

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 R$12.31

$3.86 R$19.56

-37.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.06 R$5.36

-0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.06

$1.82 R$9.24

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.37 R$6.92

-16.79%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.21

$2.54 R$12.87

-12.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 R$49.77

$10.07 R$51.1

-2.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.87

$5.08 R$25.75

-15.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$39.99

$10.49 R$53.2

-24.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$1.72 R$8.70

26.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.02

$1.05 R$5.32

31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.03 R$5.20

16.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R$8.58

$1.39 R$7.03

21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$0.80 R$4.04

73.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$0.80 R$4.03

58.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.81 R$4.09

8.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.82 R$4.17

-6.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$11.97

$2.94 R$14.88

-19.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 R$40.90

$7.12 R$36.10

13.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.31 R$6.63

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$11.42

$2.54 R$12.89

-11.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.30

$1.17 R$5.91

-27.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.93 R$192

$71.0 R$360

-46.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.26 R$6.40

-24.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.76 R$3.87

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.30 R$6.60

-4.62%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$23.3K R$118.0K

2.32%

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

$30.7K R$155.9K

$33.3K R$169.0K

-7.80%

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

$95.3 R$483

$105 R$534

-9.66%

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

$17.60 R$89.2

$14.51 R$73.6

21.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 R$107

$23.46 R$119

-9.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R$103

$28.95 R$147

-29.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 R$76.4

$20.08 R$102

-25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.25

$7.78 R$39.45

-13.11%

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

$184 R$935

$383 R$1,943

-51.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,903 R$14.7K

$10.9K R$55.4K

-73.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 R$327

$57.6 R$292

12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 R$275

$55.2 R$280

-1.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 R$386

$94.7 R$480

-19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$80.8 R$410

-26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$515 R$2,612

-30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 R$930

$304 R$1,540

-39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 R$2,923

$851 R$4,316

-32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,635

$549 R$2,785

-41.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 R$7,749

$2,472 R$12.5K

-38.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 R$3,633

$1,745 R$8,847

-58.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,998

$687 R$3,481

-42.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.7%

Curitiba

$200 19% 1.5% $3

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$184 22.1%

Curitiba

$304 28.8% 65.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$134 16.1%

Curitiba

$143 13.6% 7% $9.4

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.6%

Curitiba

$152 14.4% 25% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.8%

Curitiba

$130 12.3% 13.5% $15

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$47 5.6%

Curitiba

$81 7.7% 72.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4.1%

Curitiba

$45 4.2% 31.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Sao Luis and $515 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 74% 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 $39.00 in Curitiba. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $200, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

Same time as Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

1,773,718

💱 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 Curitiba 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Luis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Curitiba. 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 $515 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Luis runs roughly 87% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $184 in Sao Luis versus $383 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Luis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $832 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Luis hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.