Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad, Romania and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $944 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$944

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arad and in Brasilia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arad and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $944 per month in Arad vs $916 in Brasilia, rent included.

Arad $944
Brasilia $916

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Arad vs $1,514 in Brasilia, rent included.

Arad $1,403
Brasilia $1,514

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Arad vs $2,112 in Brasilia, rent included.

Arad $1,862
Brasilia $2,112

Arad costs about 3% more than Brasilia.

Both Arad and Brasilia are more affordable than the global median – Arad 31% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 RON 40.78

$8.44 R$45.89

1.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.88 RON 157

$36.71 R$200

-10.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 RON 35.03

$7.98 R$43.42

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$2.50 RON 11.96

$2.53 R$13.74

-1.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.17

$1.42 R$7.72

5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RON 7.32

$1.00 R$5.45

53.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.89

$2.20 R$11.96

-5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 RON 11.90

$3.76 R$20.43

-33.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 RON 5.60

$1.02 R$5.54

14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 RON 5.88

$1.95 R$10.63

-36.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 RON 8.31

$1.24 R$6.75

40.32%

Eggs

$2.68 RON 12.81

$2.27 R$12.37

18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 RON 34.83

$11.17 R$60.8

-34.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 RON 23.60

$3.86 R$21.02

27.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 RON 48.24

$8.58 R$46.66

17.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$2.31 R$12.54

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.36

$1.38 R$7.50

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.21

$1.26 R$6.84

36.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 RON 6.73

$1.52 R$8.27

-7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.11 R$6.05

-28.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.98 R$5.31

-11.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 RON 5.78

$0.76 R$4.11

59.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.93 R$5.08

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 RON 28.22

$2.36 R$12.86

150.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 RON 28.00

$7.67 R$41.71

-23.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.88

$1.24 R$6.75

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.38

$2.36 R$12.81

-25.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.09

$0.73 R$3.96

17.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.94 RON 105

$29.76 R$162

-26.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 RON 3.72

$1.01 R$5.52

-22.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 RON 4.90

$0.86 R$4.67

19.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 RON 49.37

$5.77 R$31.40

79.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.91

$1.25 R$6.79

48.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K RON 134.9K

$22.0K R$119.4K

28.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.4K RON 121.5K

$31.9K R$173.3K

-20.15%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$125 RON 595

$92.1 R$501

35.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.33 RON 39.80

$11.85 R$64.4

-29.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.13 RON 34.07

$20.93 R$114

-65.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.51 RON 170

$30.47 R$166

16.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.53 RON 151

$26.29 R$143

19.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 RON 25.06

$7.46 R$40.61

-29.76%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$160 RON 764

$764 R$4,158

-79.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,827 RON 18.3K

$15.7K R$85.5K

-75.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.21 RON 197

$52.6 R$286

-21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.08 RON 101

$42.10 R$229

-49.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 RON 329

$79.4 R$432

-13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.2 RON 350

$83.6 R$455

-12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 RON 2,006

$517 R$2,813

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,414

$242 R$1,314

22.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 RON 2,446

$1,156 R$6,290

-55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 RON 1,992

$580 R$3,153

-28.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,825 RON 8,722

$2,398 R$13.0K

-23.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 RON 6,255

$1,678 R$9,128

-21.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$923 RON 4,410

$784 R$4,267

17.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

12.12

-39.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$296 31.4%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 18.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$191 20.3%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 4.8% $9.1

Eating Out

Arad

$148 15.7%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 1.5% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 14.8%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 10.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$92 9.7%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 26.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$46 4.9%

Brasilia

$45 5% 1.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Arad

$31 3.3%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 21.5% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Arad versus $517 in Brasilia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Arad. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Arad versus $37 in Brasilia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $201 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

21:56 9:56 PM

5 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arad Brasilia 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Arad
Brasilia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arad vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 3% more than Brasilia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,417 per month in Arad and $1,374 in Brasilia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $517 in Brasilia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Arad and $37 in Brasilia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $944 in Arad and $916 in Brasilia. That makes Brasilia about 3% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $944 in Arad and $916 in Brasilia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Brasilia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Brasilia to $944 in Arad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Brasilia. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.