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City Profile

Pedreiras, Maranhão

Brazil · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare Pedreiras Custom Comparison
63
Overall Score

Pedreiras is an established municipality located in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, stretching along the banks of the Mearim River. Founded in the 20th century, the city functions as a vital commercial and regional hub for the middle Mearim territory, connecting several surrounding interior towns. Residents and visitors are drawn to its vibrant local culture, traditional regional festivities, and the scenic presence of the river that shapes daily life.

About Maranhão

Maranhão, a state in northern Brazil, is characterized by its heavily wooded, low-lying terrain and a long Atlantic coastline, with its capital, São Luís, situated on an island in a delta region. The economy is primarily driven by farming and cattle raising, with significant exports of palm oils and rice, alongside industries like food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting concentrated in São Luís. The climate is hot and humid year-round, with a wet and a relatively dry season, and while specific cost of living data for the entire state is limited, São Luís is considered to have a lower cost of living compared to larger Brazilian cities, offering a lifestyle rich in Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous, and European cultural influences.

41,200
Population
$7K
Avg Salary
38
Cost Index
62.9
Quality Score
How this 63/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them
Component Readings used Points Weight Contributes
Safety Safety score: 65 / 100 65.0 30% 19.5
Affordability Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 38.0 100.0 25% 25.0
Economy & jobs Median household income: $5,800 Income needed to live here: $5,500 Unemployment rate: 8.2% 27.2 20% 5.4
Growth Population growth rate: 0.8% Job growth rate: 1.5% 47.5 15% 7.1
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 58 / 100 58.0 10% 5.8
Overall score 62.9

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Tier 2 (reasoned) (q=54, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 16 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business
58
Livability
66
Affordability
85
Growth
60

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Pedreiras is notably lower than the national Brazilian average, providing an affordable environment for local households. Everyday expenses such as local produce, housing rentals, and basic utilities require modest financial outlays compared to major state capitals like São Luís. However, imported goods, fuel, and specialized electronics still align with broader national pricing trends.

Average Rent
$250/mo
Groceries
$180/mo
Transport
$50/mo
Utilities
$60/mo
Healthcare
$100/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$20.00
Cinema ticket
$5.00
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$8.00
Monthly groceries
$180.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$35.00

Income

Salary Insights

The local economy is predominantly anchored by public administration, retail commerce, and regional services, complemented by small-scale agriculture and livestock production. Employment opportunities heavily feature government roles, education, healthcare, and local trade operations. While formal corporate remote work is still emerging, small business ownership and micro-entrepreneurship form the core of the local economic fabric.

The average salary in Pedreiras is $6,500 per year. You would need approximately $5,500 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Public Administration +1.20% Agriculture and Livestock +1.50% Transportation and Logistics +1.60% Education and Healthcare Services +2.00% Commerce and Retail +1.80%

Weather

Climate

🌡️
28°C
Avg Temp
☀️
33°C
Summer High
❄️
23°C
Winter Low
🌧️
70.80"
Annual Rain
💧
75.00%
Humidity
🌤️
189
Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around Pedreiras is predominantly accomplished via personal motorcycles, cars, and ubiquitous local mototaxis that serve the urban area efficiently. Walkability is moderate within the central business district, whereas outlying neighborhoods require vehicular transport for daily commutes. Regional bus lines connect Pedreiras to larger economic and transport hubs throughout the state of Maranhão.

18 min
Avg Commute
40.00/10
Transit Score
55.00/10
Walkability
Medium
Car Dependency
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At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Significantly lower cost of living compared to major Brazilian metropolitan areas.
Strategic regional hub status providing steady commerce and public sector employment.
Rich local culture and vibrant community traditions centered around the Mearim River.
Affordable housing market featuring accessible rental and property purchasing options.
Peaceful, community-oriented pace of life typical of interior Maranhão.
Drawbacks
Limited high-paying job opportunities outside of public administration and retail.
High summer temperatures and intense seasonal rainfall patterns.
Requirement to travel to larger cities for specialized medical care and advanced education.
Economic vulnerability due to heavy reliance on regional agriculture and public administration.
Infrastructure challenges in peripheral neighborhoods regarding paved roads and drainage.

Head to Head

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Community Q&A

Questions about Pedreiras

What people ask about living in and moving to Pedreiras, Maranhão.

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Gathering the most common questions about Pedreiras…

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The consumer market basket tracks everyday necessities, including staple grocery items (such as milk, bread, eggs, and produce), residential energy bills (electricity, gas, and water), public and private transit costs, routine outpatient medical care, and standard consumer goods and services to ensure a representative monthly budget.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Local tax climates significantly shift a city's affordability score by directly affecting disposable income. Urblytica factors in state income tax brackets, local municipal property tax millage rates, and combined sales taxes to measure the true tax drag on median household earnings.

Core economic indexes and consumer price metrics undergo a comprehensive quarterly recalibration. This update cycle integrates the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases, municipal utility rate adjustments, and regional housing data feeds to ensure all index comparisons reflect current economic conditions.

Housing is weighted as the single largest component in Urblytica's cost-of-living algorithm, typically accounting for roughly 30% to 35% of the composite score. It incorporates both median monthly gross rent and median single-family home purchase prices relative to local median income levels.

Normalization involves adjusting raw economic inputs against localized purchasing power parities (PPPs) and population-weighted density scales. This ensures fair, apples-to-apples comparisons between dense metropolitan hubs and smaller suburban or rural towns.

Utility indexing applies a rolling annual average that captures seasonal climate variations, such as increased summer air conditioning loads in southern climates or heavier winter heating demands in northern regions, providing a realistic year-round average utility expense.

Remote workers leverage the index to calculate real purchasing power parity when moving from a high-cost-of-living area to a lower-cost region. By comparing index differentials against their fixed salary, users can determine if their net savings and lifestyle quality will improve post-relocation.

While the raw Cost of Living Index measures pure expense levels, it is frequently paired with Urblytica’s local wage index and median household income benchmarks. This combined view highlights whether local salaries keep pace with local consumer goods and housing expenses.

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