Climate
Rio de Janeiro logs 65 hot days a year to São Luís's 15 — São Luís wins by 50. São Luís also leads on sunny days by 27.
Rio de Janeiro
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
São Luís
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Rio de Janeiro averages $1,689/mo for balanced living; São Luís has no cost baseline yet.
Rio de Janeiro
$1,689monthly · balanced
Mobility
Rio de Janeiro scores 2.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); São Luís has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Rio de Janeiro's culture score of 4.2 sits well above São Luís's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Rio de Janeiro scores 5.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); São Luís has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Rio de Janeiro scores 0.6 on safety (0–5 scale); São Luís has no safety baseline.
Career
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.2 on career (0–5 scale); São Luís has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.4 on social & community (0–5 scale); São Luís has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); São Luís has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.1 on family (0–5 scale); São Luís has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Rio de Janeiro scores 2.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); São Luís has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Rio de Janeiro averages 15.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus São Luís's 11.7 µg/m³ (moderate) — São Luís breathes ~25% cleaner air (4.0 µg/m³ lower).
Rio de Janeiro
São Luís
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Rio de Janeiro (9.9M) and São Luís (1.3M) are 7.7x in population — Rio de Janeiro is the larger metro, São Luís the smaller; on land area Rio de Janeiro spans roughly 5.3x more ground.
Rio de Janeiro is roughly 6.4x the scale of São Luís
Combined population & area comparison
Rio de JaneiroSão LuísCity Scale Rankings
Rio de Janeiro9.9M7.7xSão Luís1.3M1xRio de Janeiro1,285 km²5.3xSão Luís242 km²1xRio de Janeiro
São Luís
Who Thrives Here
Rio de Janeiro is the stronger fit for the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the winter escapist.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Rio de Janeiro vs São Luís
▶Which is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or São Luís?
▶How does the climate compare between Rio de Janeiro and São Luís?
▶Is Rio de Janeiro or São Luís safer?
▶Should I move to Rio de Janeiro or São Luís?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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