Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $703 a month against $834 in Sao Luis, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
Learn more

Zhongshan Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$703

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zhongshan and in Sao Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in Zhongshan versus $834 in Sao Luis.

Zhongshan $703
Sao Luis $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,095 in Zhongshan versus $1,310 in Sao Luis.

Zhongshan $1,095
Sao Luis $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,488 in Zhongshan versus $1,786 in Sao Luis.

Zhongshan $1,488
Sao Luis $1,786

Living in Zhongshan costs roughly 16% less than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhongshan 48% lower, Sao Luis 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.57

$6.60 R$32.83

-55.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 ¥157

$39.74 R$198

-40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 ¥30.58

$6.82 R$33.93

-32.84%

Cappuccino

$2.85 ¥19.08

$2.15 R$10.68

32.56%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.27 R$6.32

-62.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.73 R$3.64

-60.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.96 R$9.74

-60.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.22

$2.44 R$12.12

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$1.11 R$5.50

39.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$1.93 R$9.61

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$1.11 R$5.52

-41.44%

Eggs

$1.24 ¥8.29

$2.27 R$11.28

-45.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.83 ¥139

$10.14 R$50.5

105.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.86 ¥19.11

$4.28 R$21.30

-33.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.3

$7.64 R$38.01

76.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ¥13.81

$2.11 R$10.51

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.03

$1.39 R$6.93

-24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$1.22 R$6.07

-42.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$1.73 R$8.62

-15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$1.33 R$6.62

-56.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$1.34 R$6.65

-44.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ¥2.84

$0.90 R$4.46

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$0.73 R$3.61

-26.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ¥19.42

$2.44 R$12.13

19.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 ¥79.3

$8.21 R$40.88

44.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$1.27 R$6.34

-44.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$2.32 R$11.57

-21.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.85 R$4.25

-65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 ¥101

$38.52 R$192

-60.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.03 R$5.10

45.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.94 R$4.68

-59.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.30 ¥48.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥9.06

$1.21 R$6.04

12.40%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$24.2K R$120.3K

-21.28%

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

$18.5K ¥123.5K

$30.4K R$151.1K

-39.14%

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

$41.44 ¥277

$97.5 R$485

-57.48%

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

$10.03 ¥67.0

$18.02 R$89.7

-44.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.61 ¥84.3

$21.42 R$107

-41.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ¥455

$20.11 R$100

238.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.63 ¥51.0

$15.27 R$76.0

-50.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ¥39.69

$6.84 R$34.04

-13.16%

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

$319 ¥2,134

$183 R$913

74.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥89.3K

$2,911 R$14.5K

359.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.16 ¥322

$64.7 R$322

-25.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 ¥261

$54.6 R$272

-28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.8 ¥393

$75.1 R$374

-21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ¥504

$59.0 R$293

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$207 ¥1,383

$363 R$1,806

-42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ¥848

$187 R$932

-32.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 ¥2,459

$580 R$2,885

-36.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,435

$330 R$1,643

-34.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,478 ¥16.6K

$1,575 R$7,841

57.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 ¥9,771

$721 R$3,587

102.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$966 ¥6,457

$386 R$1,923

150.08%

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 Zhongshan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$226 32.4%

Sao Luis

$197 23.6% 12.6% $28

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$127 18.2%

Sao Luis

$187 22.3% 47.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$100 14.3%

Sao Luis

$114 13.6% 14.5% $14

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$82 11.8%

Sao Luis

$122 14.5% 48.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.5%

Sao Luis

$34 4% 57.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.2%

Sao Luis

$137 16.3% 114% $73

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Sao Luis

$48 5.7% 143% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $207 in Zhongshan and $363 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongshan pays 150% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Zhongshan vs $40.00 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $197, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

11 h behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Zhongshan
Sao Luis

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

Zhongshan vs Sao Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongshan and Sao Luis differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($703 vs $834 including rent). Zhongshan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Zhongshan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $207 in Zhongshan versus $363 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sao Luis pay roughly 14% 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 $23.00 versus $40.00 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.

Expats usually find Zhongshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Sao Luis. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.