vs

Climate

São Luís logs 0 outdoor-dinner months a year to São Paulo's 2 — São Paulo wins by 2. São Luís also leads on hot days by 27.

São LuísSão Paulo
Sunny days
276239
Hot days
1542
Frost days
00
Rainy days
221152
Outdoor dinner months
0/122/12
Avg wind
4.8 m/s3.0 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,9522,470
Darkest month sun
165 hrs/mo173 hrs/mo
UV peak month
10.48.9

São Luís

Feels-like °C

30
30
30
30
32
31
32
31
31
31
31
31

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

São Paulo

Feels-like °C

25
25
26
21
18
17
17
18
23
23
23
24

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

São Paulo averages $1,625/mo for balanced living; São Luís has no cost baseline yet.

São Luís

monthly · balanced

São Paulo

$1,625

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,194Comfort $2,924
Top 67%in Among 48 Latin America cities

Mobility

São Paulo scores 2.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); São Luís has no mobility baseline.

/5
vs
2.8/5
São LuísSão Paulo
TransitMotorbikeFlights

Culture

São Paulo's culture score of 4.1 sits well above São Luís's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
4.1/5
São LuísSão Paulo
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
São Paulo leads

Nature & Outdoors

São Paulo scores 3.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); São Luís has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
3.5/5
São LuísSão Paulo
MountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCamping

Safety

São Paulo scores 0.9 on safety (0–5 scale); São Luís has no safety baseline.

/5
vs
0.9/5
São LuísSão Paulo
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadFlooding

Career

São Paulo scores 4.3 on career (0–5 scale); São Luís has no career baseline.

/5
vs
4.3/5
São LuísSão Paulo
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

São Paulo scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); São Luís has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
São LuísSão Paulo
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration Friendliness

Food & Dining

São Paulo scores 4.4 on food & dining (0–5 scale); São Luís has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
4.4/5
São LuísSão Paulo
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

São Paulo scores 3.9 on family (0–5 scale); São Luís has no family baseline.

/5
vs
3.9/5
São LuísSão Paulo
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

São Paulo scores 3.1 on healthcare (0–5 scale); São Luís has no healthcare baseline.

/5
vs
3.1/5
São LuísSão Paulo
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

São Luís averages 11.7 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus São Paulo's 14.9 µg/m³ (moderate) — São Luís breathes ~21% cleaner air (3.2 µg/m³ lower).

São Luís

São Paulo

11.7µg/m³
14.9µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Moderate
Moderate

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

São Luís (1.3M) and São Paulo (19.5M) are 15x in population — São Paulo is the larger metro, São Luís the smaller; on land area São Paulo spans roughly 8.7x more ground.

12x

São Paulo is roughly 12x the scale of São Luís

Combined population & area comparison

BR flagSão Paulo
12x
BR flagSão Luís
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.BR flagSão Paulo19.5M15x
2.BR flagSão Luís1.3M1x
Area
1.BR flagSão Paulo2,111 km²8.7x
2.BR flagSão Luís242 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
22 km20 km

BR flagSão Luís

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
86 km49 km

BR flagSão Paulo

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about São Luís vs São Paulo

Which is cheaper, São Luís or São Paulo?
São Paulo has an estimated monthly cost of $1,625.
How does the climate compare between São Luís and São Paulo?
Sunny days: 276 vs 239 d — São Luís higher Annual sunshine: 2,952 vs 2,470 hrs — São Luís higher Winter sunshine: 165 vs 173 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 15 vs 42 d — São Luís lower Frost days: 0 vs 0 d — Similar Rainy days: 221 vs 152 d — São Paulo lower
Is São Luís or São Paulo safer?
São Paulo has a safety score of 0.9/5.
Should I move to São Luís or São Paulo?
São Luís and São Paulo are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how São Luís and São Paulo stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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