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City Profile

Sousa, Paraíba

Brazil · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare Sousa Custom Comparison
67
Overall Score

Sousa is a prominent municipality located in the sertão region of Paraíba, Brazil, widely recognized as the "Land of Dinosaurs" due to the world-renowned Vale dos Dinossauros paleontological site. Founded in the 18th century, the city has evolved into a key economic, educational, and healthcare hub for western Paraíba. Its character blends traditional Northeastern Brazilian culture with steady modernization, offering a close-knit community vibe anchored by vibrant local commerce and agricultural roots.

About Paraíba

Paraíba is a northeastern Brazilian state known for its diverse landscapes, from Atlantic coastline to the semi-arid Borborema Plateau, and a rich cultural heritage influenced by indigenous, African, and Portuguese traditions. The economy is diversified, with major contributions from the service sector, industrial development in areas like clothing, agricultural machinery, and plastics, and agriculture producing sugar, pineapples, sisal, livestock, and hides. Living in Paraíba, particularly in its capital João Pessoa, generally offers a relaxed, coastal lifestyle with a tropical climate and year-round warm temperatures, and a lower cost of living compared to larger Brazilian cities.

70,000
Population
$7K
Avg Salary
35
Cost Index
66.7
Quality Score
How this 67/100 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): 35.0 100.0 25% 25.0
Economy & jobs Median household income: $8,500 Income needed to live here: $6,000 Unemployment rate: 8.5% 47.9 20% 9.6
Growth Population growth rate: 0.8% Job growth rate: 1.5% 47.5 15% 7.1
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 55 / 100 55.0 10% 5.5
Overall score 66.7

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Gemini (ungrounded) (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
55
Livability
63
Affordability
85
Growth
58

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Sousa is exceptionally affordable when converted to USD, sitting well below both national and international averages. Everyday expenses such as local produce, dining out, and basic services require modest budgets, making it an economical option for retirees or remote workers seeking lower overhead. Housing costs, whether renting or buying, are a fraction of what one would expect in coastal Brazilian capitals or North American cities, though imported goods and specialized electronics remain subject to national pricing.

Average Rent
$250/mo
Groceries
$200/mo
Transport
$60/mo
Utilities
$70/mo
Healthcare
$80/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$25.00
Cinema ticket
$5.00
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$7.00
Monthly groceries
$180.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$40.00

Income

Salary Insights

Sousa's local economy is driven primarily by commerce, public administration, agriculture, and educational services, serving as a regional trade center for surrounding smaller towns. While high-tech or corporate remote-working infrastructure is still developing, small business entrepreneurship and retail trade provide steady local employment. The agricultural sector, particularly livestock and regional crop production, underpins much of the industrial and commercial activity in the municipality.

The average salary in Sousa is $7,200 per year. You would need approximately $6,000 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Tourism & Hospitality +2.50% Commerce & Retail +1.50% Public Administration & Services +0.80% Agriculture & Livestock +1.20% Education & Healthcare +2.00%

Weather

Climate

🌡️
28°C
Avg Temp
☀️
33°C
Summer High
❄️
24°C
Winter Low
🌧️
27.00"
Annual Rain
💧
55.00%
Humidity
🌤️
276
Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around Sousa relies heavily on personal vehicles, motorcycles, and local taxi or ride-hailing services, supplemented by municipal bus lines. Walkability is favorable within the compact commercial center, allowing residents to complete daily errands on foot. While traffic is generally manageable, peak hours around school openings and commercial shifts see moderate congestion along main thoroughfares.

18 min
Avg Commute
40.00/10
Transit Score
65.00/10
Walkability
Medium
Car Dependency
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At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Exceptionally low cost of living and housing prices compared to coastal Brazilian cities
Home to the internationally famous Vale dos Dinossauros, offering unique cultural and tourism value
Acts as a major commercial, educational, and healthcare hub for western Paraíba
Pleasant, low-stress pace of life with minimal traffic congestion and a strong community atmosphere
Warm, sunny climate with an average of 276 sunny days per year
Drawbacks
Extremely hot semi-arid climate during summer months requires constant air conditioning use
Limited high-tech or corporate employment opportunities outside of traditional sectors
Specialized medical care and advanced surgical procedures often require travel to larger cities
Public transportation options are limited compared to major metropolitan centers
Limited direct commercial flight access, requiring transit through larger regional airports

Head to Head

Compare Sousa

Sousa VS Cincinnati Sousa VS Grants Pass Sousa VS Binghamton Sousa VS Tigard

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Nearby Cities

Catolé do Rocha
75
Picuí
64
Esperança
69
Campina Grande
64

Community Q&A

Questions about Sousa

What people ask about living in and moving to Sousa, Paraíba.

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Gathering the most common questions about Sousa…

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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