Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Sao Luis

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.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/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: $701 in Zhongshan versus $782 in Sao Luis.

Zhongshan $701
Sao Luis $782

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

Zhongshan $1,115
Sao Luis $1,233

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

Zhongshan $1,529
Sao Luis $1,685

Living in Zhongshan costs roughly 10% less than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.06

$5.96 R$31.86

-49.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥161

$36.79 R$197

-34.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 ¥30.76

$6.45 R$34.50

-28.37%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.61

$2.10 R$11.23

40.48%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.18 R$6.34

-60.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$0.63 R$3.34

-53.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.89 R$10.11

-59.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥11.85

$2.26 R$12.09

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.69

$1.02 R$5.47

57.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.94

$1.77 R$9.46

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.29

$1.02 R$5.48

-36.27%

Eggs

$1.21 ¥8.05

$2.00 R$10.68

-39.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.47 ¥143

$9.53 R$51.0

125.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.81 ¥18.69

$4.02 R$21.48

-30.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 ¥89.1

$7.27 R$38.88

84.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.88

$2.00 R$10.68

4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$1.28 R$6.83

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.38

$1.12 R$6.00

-41.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.50

$1.63 R$8.71

-12.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$1.28 R$6.85

-53.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.17

$1.21 R$6.49

-35.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.61

$0.79 R$4.22

-50.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.68 R$3.64

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.46

$2.21 R$11.80

38.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 ¥79.4

$7.57 R$40.48

57.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.63

$1.19 R$6.34

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$2.16 R$11.56

-19.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.75 R$3.99

-58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.97 ¥99.7

$35.77 R$191

-58.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$0.94 R$5.03

57.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.81 R$4.31

-53.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥8.99

$1.18 R$6.29

14.41%

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

$19.6K ¥130.5K

$21.9K R$117.1K

-10.46%

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

$18.0K ¥119.6K

$28.7K R$153.4K

-37.35%

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

$40.55 ¥270

$89.6 R$479

-54.72%

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

$10.10 ¥67.2

$16.58 R$88.6

-39.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.03 ¥86.7

$19.72 R$105

-33.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 ¥442

$18.63 R$99.6

256.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.61 ¥50.6

$14.41 R$77.0

-47.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 ¥39.48

$6.34 R$33.91

-6.47%

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

$319 ¥2,125

$174 R$928

83.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$2,700 R$14.4K

395.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.28 ¥321

$59.2 R$317

-18.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 ¥268

$51.5 R$276

-21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 ¥402

$71.6 R$383

-15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 ¥492

$55.5 R$297

33.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ¥1,397

$331 R$1,771

-36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥856

$177 R$945

-27.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,497

$527 R$2,816

-28.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,449

$307 R$1,641

-29.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,504 ¥16.7K

$1,441 R$7,706

73.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,503 ¥10.0K

$681 R$3,643

120.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$955 ¥6,354

$366 R$1,955

161.13%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$227 32.3%

Sao Luis

$184 23.5% 18.9% $43

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.4%

Sao Luis

$177 22.6% 37.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$100 14.3%

Sao Luis

$107 13.7% 6.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$84 12%

Sao Luis

$113 14.5% 35.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$78 11.2%

Sao Luis

$31 4% 60% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Sao Luis

$126 16.1% 97.6% $62

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Sao Luis

$44 5.6% 123% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $210 in Zhongshan and $331 in Sao Luis. 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: $24 in Zhongshan vs $37 in Sao Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $184, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

17:49 5:49 PM

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 = 0.135 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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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

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

Average pay in Zhongshan is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $210 in Zhongshan versus $331 in Sao Luis. 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.