Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $701 a month against $782 in Sao Luis, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Luis outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Sao Luis versus $701 in Zhongshan.

Sao Luis $782
Zhongshan $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,233 in Sao Luis versus $1,115 in Zhongshan.

Sao Luis $1,233
Zhongshan $1,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,685 in Sao Luis versus $1,529 in Zhongshan.

Sao Luis $1,685
Zhongshan $1,529

Living in Sao Luis is roughly 12% more expensive than in Zhongshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 43% lower, Zhongshan 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 R$31.86

$3.01 ¥20.06

98.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.79 R$197

$24.18 ¥161

52.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 R$34.50

$4.62 ¥30.76

39.61%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.23

$2.95 ¥19.61

-28.81%

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

$1.18 R$6.34

$0.47 ¥3.14

151.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.34

$0.29 ¥1.90

117.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 R$10.11

$0.76 ¥5.07

148.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$12.09

$1.78 ¥11.85

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.47

$1.61 ¥10.69

-36.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 R$9.46

$1.64 ¥10.94

7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.48

$0.65 ¥4.29

56.92%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.68

$1.21 ¥8.05

65.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 R$51.0

$21.47 ¥143

-55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 R$21.48

$2.81 ¥18.69

43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R$38.88

$13.39 ¥89.1

-45.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 R$10.68

$2.09 ¥13.88

-4.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.83

$1.03 ¥6.86

24.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.00

$0.66 ¥4.38

69.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.71

$1.43 ¥9.50

13.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.85

$0.59 ¥3.91

116.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.49

$0.78 ¥5.17

55.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.22

$0.39 ¥2.61

102.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.64

$0.49 ¥3.29

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 R$11.80

$3.07 ¥20.46

-28.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 R$40.48

$11.93 ¥79.4

-36.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.34

$0.70 ¥4.63

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.56

$1.73 ¥11.54

24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 R$3.99

$0.31 ¥2.09

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.77 R$191

$14.97 ¥99.7

138.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R$5.03

$1.48 ¥9.85

-36.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.31

$0.38 ¥2.55

113.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.29

$1.35 ¥8.99

-12.59%

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

$21.9K R$117.1K

$19.6K ¥130.5K

11.68%

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

$28.7K R$153.4K

$18.0K ¥119.6K

59.61%

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

$89.6 R$479

$40.55 ¥270

120.84%

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

$16.58 R$88.6

$10.10 ¥67.2

64.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.72 R$105

$13.03 ¥86.7

51.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.63 R$99.6

$66.4 ¥442

-71.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.41 R$77.0

$7.61 ¥50.6

89.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 R$33.91

$5.93 ¥39.48

6.91%

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

$174 R$928

$319 ¥2,125

-45.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,700 R$14.4K

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 R$317

$48.28 ¥321

22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 R$276

$40.31 ¥268

27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 R$383

$60.4 ¥402

18.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 R$297

$74.0 ¥492

-24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 R$1,771

$210 ¥1,397

57.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 R$945

$129 ¥856

37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,816

$375 ¥2,497

40.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,641

$218 ¥1,449

40.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,441 R$7,706

$2,504 ¥16.7K

-42.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$681 R$3,643

$1,503 ¥10.0K

-54.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$366 R$1,955

$955 ¥6,354

-61.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zhongshan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$184 23.5%

Zhongshan

$227 32.3% 23.2% $43

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$177 22.6%

Zhongshan

$129 18.4% 27.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$126 16.1%

Zhongshan

$64 9.1% 49.4% $62

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$113 14.5%

Zhongshan

$84 12% 26.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$107 13.7%

Zhongshan

$100 14.3% 6.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$44 5.6%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 55.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$31 4%

Zhongshan

$78 11.2% 150% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $331 in Sao Luis and $210 in Zhongshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongshan pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Sao Luis vs $24 in Zhongshan. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $227, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

11 h ahead of Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

3,209,600

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Luis Zhongshan 16,740 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
Zhongshan

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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $782 in Sao Luis and $701 in Zhongshan, so Zhongshan is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Sao Luis. 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: $331 in Sao Luis versus $210 in Zhongshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sao Luis pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhongshan – a meal for two runs $24 versus $37 in Sao Luis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Zhongshan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.