RS · South
Population: 138,273 (IBGE estimate 2026)
Machine translation of the Portuguese Wikipedia article (November 2026 version).
Santa Cruz do Sul is a Brazilian municipality in the centre of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 155 km from Porto Alegre. Its population, according to IBGE estimates, was 138,104 inhabitants in 2024, making it the 14th most populous municipality in Rio Grande do Sul. With an area of 733.4 km², it is located in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, bordering the municipalities of Vera Cruz, Rio Pardo, Sinimbu, Venâncio Aires and Passo do Sobrado. With a temperate climate, it forms a physiographic region of transition between the Planalto and the Central Depression, with vegetation derived from the Atlantic Forest and the Pampa, and a predominance of volcanic lithology.
The old Colony of Santa Cruz was founded on 6 December 1847, and the city on 31 March 1877, emancipated from Rio Pardo. One of the main centres of German colonisation in Rio Grande do Sul, both Portuguese and German are spoken there, especially the Hunsrückisch dialect. Its economy has historically been linked to tobacco, and it is considered the world capital of tobacco. It experienced strong economic expansion, verticalisation and rural exodus in the 20th century up to the early 21st century, and in 2018 its GDP stood at 9.4 billion reais, the sixth largest in the state, while the Human Development Index (HDI) was 0.733 in 2010, considered high.
Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Read the full article on Wikipedia (in Portuguese)
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Well-known places within 50 km of the city center, closest first. Source: Wikidata (public domain).
0 to 100, compared with Brazilian municipalities of 100,000+ residents (rent: compared among the 36 cities with rent data).
RS average (19 cities): 82 · All 338 cities: 76
Intentional violent deaths per 100k (police records)
8.68 per 100k residents
Source: Ministério da Justiça – Sinesp VDE (ocorrências por município) · Reference: 2025 · License: Open data
Personal safety (SPI)
67.38 score 0–100
Source: Índice de Progresso Social Brasil · Reference: SPI Brazil 2026 (2024 data) · License: CC BY 4.0 (report)
Rent data (FipeZAP) covers 36 cities. Here the cost topic counts as average (50) in the score.
RS average (19 cities): 41 · All 338 cities: 34
Formal jobs per 1,000 residents
332.52 per 1,000 residents
Source: IBGE – Cadastro Central de Empresas (Cempre) · Reference: 2024 · License: Open data
Average monthly wage of formal jobs (BRL)
3,883.94 BRL/month
Source: IBGE – Cadastro Central de Empresas (Cempre) · Reference: 2024 · License: Open data
RS average (19 cities): 37 · All 338 cities: 34
Hospital beds per 1,000
2.43 per 1,000 residents
Source: CNES / DATASUS (TabNet) · Reference: Sep 2026 · License: Public data
Doctors per 1,000
5.06 per 1,000 residents
Source: CNES / DATASUS (TabNet) · Reference: Sep 2026 · License: Public data
RS average (19 cities): 48 · All 338 cities: 54
Ideb – late grades (9th grade), public schools
5.7 score 0–10
Source: INEP – Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (Ideb) · Reference: 2025 · License: Open data
Ideb – early grades (5th grade), public schools
6.6 score 0–10
Source: INEP – Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (Ideb) · Reference: 2025 · License: Open data
RS average (19 cities): 67 · All 338 cities: 65
Fixed broadband per 100 homes
37.58 per 100 households
Source: Anatel – Acessos de Banda Larga Fixa · Reference: Aug 2026 · License: Open data
Home connections at 100 Mbps or faster (%)
95.64 %
Source: Anatel – Acessos de Banda Larga Fixa · Reference: Aug 2026 · License: Open data
RS average (19 cities): 63 · All 338 cities: 60
Distance to intl. airport (km)
125.23 km
Source: ANAC – Voo Regular Ativo e Aeródromos · Reference: Sep 2025–Aug 2026 · License: Open data
International departures within 100 km
0 departures in 12 months
Source: ANAC – Voo Regular Ativo e Aeródromos · Reference: Sep 2025–Aug 2026 · License: Open data
Nearest international airport
Salgado Filho (SBPA), 125 km in a straight line · 1,449 international departures in 12 months
score 0–100 · Source: Índice de Progresso Social Brasil · Reference: SPI Brazil 2026 (2024 data) · License: CC BY 4.0 (report)
No weather station with comparable altitude within 100 km.
Up to 150 km in a straight line. Scores use your weights.
Topic scores closest to those of Santa Cruz do Sul. Scores use your weights.
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