Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $832 a month against $1,222 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo.

Sao Luis $832
Sao Paulo $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sao Luis versus $2,044 in Sao Paulo.

Sao Luis $1,317
Sao Paulo $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Sao Luis versus $2,867 in Sao Paulo.

Sao Luis $1,802
Sao Paulo $2,867

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 32% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 39% lower, Sao Paulo 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 R$33.64

$8.71 R$44.15

-23.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.14 R$203

$48.61 R$246

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 R$34.93

$9.03 R$45.77

-23.70%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R$10.80

$2.55 R$12.94

-16.47%

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

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.35 R$6.83

-9.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.91 R$4.63

-21.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.87

$3.07 R$15.55

-36.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 R$12.31

$4.38 R$22.21

-44.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.33

$1.19 R$6.05

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.06

$1.80 R$9.14

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.48 R$7.51

-22.97%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.21

$2.82 R$14.31

-21.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 R$49.77

$12.61 R$63.9

-22.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.87

$5.40 R$27.36

-20.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$39.99

$10.76 R$54.6

-26.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.82 R$14.28

-23.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.02

$1.82 R$9.25

-24.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.60 R$8.14

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R$8.58

$2.03 R$10.28

-16.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.46 R$7.40

-4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.25 R$6.35

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R$4.46

$1.25 R$6.32

-29.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.98 R$4.98

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$11.97

$3.00 R$15.18

-21.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 R$40.90

$9.71 R$49.22

-16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.84 R$9.32

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$11.42

$2.52 R$12.80

-10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.30

$1.07 R$5.41

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.93 R$192

$47.26 R$240

-19.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 R$4.83

$1.81 R$9.16

-47.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.01 R$5.14

-8.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.24 R$51.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.29 R$6.52

-3.88%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$23.5K R$119.3K

1.17%

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

$30.7K R$155.9K

$34.5K R$174.9K

-10.91%

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

$95.3 R$483

$104 R$527

-8.45%

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

$17.60 R$89.2

$16.60 R$84.1

6.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 R$107

$22.04 R$112

-4.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R$103

$36.43 R$185

-44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 R$76.4

$47.29 R$240

-68.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.25

$9.69 R$49.12

-30.24%

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

$184 R$935

$573 R$2,906

-67.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,903 R$14.7K

$16.9K R$85.8K

-82.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 R$327

$66.3 R$336

-2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 R$275

$61.1 R$310

-11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 R$386

$98.8 R$501

-22.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$91.4 R$463

-35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$654 R$3,316

-44.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 R$930

$418 R$2,120

-56.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 R$2,923

$1,524 R$7,724

-62.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,635

$992 R$5,028

-67.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 R$7,749

$2,670 R$13.5K

-42.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 R$3,633

$2,019 R$10.2K

-64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,998

$900 R$4,563

-56.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.7%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.9% 23.3% $46

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$184 22.1%

Sao Paulo

$418 34.2% 128% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$134 16.1%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 6.5% $8.7

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.6%

Sao Paulo

$161 13.1% 32% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.8%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.7% 25% $29

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$47 5.6%

Sao Paulo

$58 4.8% 24.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4.1%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 64.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Sao Luis and $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 128% 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 $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $243 per month, with Sao Luis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

Same time as Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

11,451,999

💱 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 Sao Paulo 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
Sao Paulo

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 Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis and Sao Paulo differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($832 vs $1,222 including rent). Sao Luis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 128% lower in Sao Paulo. 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 $654 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Luis – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $49.00 in Sao Paulo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $832 in Sao Luis versus $1,222 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. 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 47% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.