Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Zhongshan Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Zhongshan

😐 Solo nomad: Sao Luis is 8.1% more expensive than Zhongshan without rent, and 21.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sao Luis is 32% more expensive than Zhongshan without rent, and 15.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.89 R$27.13
$2.77 ¥19.83
76.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.1 R$167
$16.58 ¥119
81.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.42 R$41.2
$4.21 ¥30.19
76.25%
Cappuccino
$2.1 R$11.68
$2.78 ¥19.93
-24.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R$5.33
$0.44 ¥3.15
118.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 R$3.03
$0.27 ¥1.92
103.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 R$10.26
$0.73 ¥5.27
153.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 R$18.27
$1.7 ¥12.16
93.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 R$5.42
$1.74 ¥12.5
-43.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 R$10.51
$1.74 ¥12.47
8.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 R$5.69
$0.9 ¥6.46
14.44%
Eggs
$1.95 R$10.82
$1.64 ¥11.78
18.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.14 R$50.7
$12.82 ¥91.9
-28.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.7 R$20.53
$2.68 ¥19.25
38.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.49 R$41.59
$12.77 ¥91.6
-41.35%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 R$10.35
$1.86 ¥13.35
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 R$6.72
$0.93 ¥6.66
30.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1 R$5.52
$0.66 ¥4.7
51.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.82
$1.39 ¥9.94
1.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 R$6.19
$0.54 ¥3.84
105.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 R$6.61
$0.71 ¥5.09
67.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 R$4.08
$0.4 ¥2.85
82.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.36
$0.47 ¥3.35
29.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.03 R$11.28
$2.87 ¥20.59
-29.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.26 R$40.32
$12.23 ¥87.8
-40.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 R$6.39
$0.61 ¥4.39
88.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.9 R$10.54
$1.86 ¥13.36
2.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.78 R$4.33
$0.29 ¥2.1
168.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.26 R$196
$14.01 ¥100
151.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 R$4.77
$1.24 ¥8.88
-30.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 R$2.91
$0.35 ¥2.49
48.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.37 R$35.38
$6.87 ¥49.3
-7.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 R$5.42
$1.12 ¥8.03
-12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17K R$94.5K
$23.2K ¥166.3K
-26.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K R$141.9K
$20.3K ¥145.7K
25.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84 R$466
$38.34 ¥275
119.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.2 R$95.5
$8.21 ¥58.9
109.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.04 R$89
$11.86 ¥85.1
35.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.47 R$103
$61.8 ¥443
-70.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 R$85.8
$7.15 ¥51.3
116.08%
Cinema Ticket
$6.22 R$34.51
$5.46 ¥39.17
13.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 R$1,170
$294 ¥2,106
-28.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,323 R$24K
$12.7K ¥91.3K
-66.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.91 R$244
$43.41 ¥311
1.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.5 R$264
$31.02 ¥222
53.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.4 R$291
$56 ¥402
-6.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$53.5 R$297
$68.3 ¥490
-21.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 R$2,186
$193 ¥1,384
104.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$213 R$1,180
$117 ¥837
82.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 R$2,917
$345 ¥2,476
52.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$296 R$1,645
$199 ¥1,426
49.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,416 R$7,862
$2,389 ¥17.1K
-40.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$670 R$3,721
$1,409 ¥10.1K
-52.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Luis
Zhongshan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$393 R$2,180
$797 ¥5,717
-50.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.92
3.83
185.12%

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 29, 2025

Last update for Zhongshan: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.