Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $798 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$798

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbacena 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 Barbacena and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $798 in Barbacena versus $916 in Brasilia.

Barbacena $798
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Barbacena versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Barbacena $1,216
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Barbacena versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Barbacena $1,634
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 13% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barbacena 41% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.08 R$27.15

$8.44 R$45.11

-39.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.42 R$104

$36.71 R$196

-47.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 R$30.56

$7.98 R$42.67

-28.32%

Cappuccino

$1.55 R$8.29

$2.53 R$13.50

-38.74%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.29

$1.00 R$5.36

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.55

$2.20 R$11.76

-44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R$10.70

$3.76 R$20.08

-46.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.70

$1.02 R$5.45

4.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 R$10.62

$1.95 R$10.44

2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.24 R$6.63

-5.65%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.82

$2.27 R$12.16

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 R$53.7

$11.17 R$59.7

-10.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 R$22.71

$3.86 R$20.66

10.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 R$48.00

$8.58 R$45.86

4.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.55

$2.31 R$12.32

17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.66

$1.38 R$7.37

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.88

$1.26 R$6.72

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R$9.41

$1.52 R$8.13

15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.30

$1.11 R$5.94

6.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.39

$0.98 R$5.22

3.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 R$3.77

$0.76 R$4.04

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.30

$0.93 R$4.99

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 R$14.53

$2.36 R$12.64

15.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 R$40.12

$7.67 R$41.00

-2.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.24 R$6.63

-12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$12.39

$2.36 R$12.59

-1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.00

$0.73 R$3.90

28.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.71 R$218

$29.76 R$159

36.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.01 R$5.42

15.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.86 R$4.59

-6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 R$45.56

$5.77 R$30.86

47.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.25 R$6.67

-3.20%

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

$21.9K R$116.8K

$22.0K R$117.4K

-0.46%

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

$32.1K R$171.3K

$31.9K R$170.3K

0.62%

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

$125 R$668

$92.1 R$492

35.57%

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

$10.19 R$54.5

$11.85 R$63.3

-14.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.67 R$116

$20.93 R$112

3.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.66 R$121

$30.47 R$163

-25.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.16 R$151

$26.29 R$141

7.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 R$40.70

$7.46 R$39.91

2.01%

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

$552 R$2,952

$764 R$4,087

-27.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K R$64.5K

$15.7K R$84.0K

-23.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.68 R$212

$52.6 R$281

-24.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 R$243

$42.10 R$225

7.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 R$370

$79.4 R$424

-12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 R$331

$83.6 R$447

-25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,167

$517 R$2,764

-57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 R$852

$242 R$1,291

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,145

$1,156 R$6,182

-65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,568

$580 R$3,099

-49.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,641 R$8,774

$2,398 R$12.8K

-31.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 R$6,087

$1,678 R$8,971

-32.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,193

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.12

-1.57%

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

Last update for Barbacena: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$201 25.2%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 0.4% $0.7

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$159 20%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 51.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$157 19.7%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 20.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$97 12.2%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 19.2% $19

Eating Out

Barbacena

$95 12%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 57.2% $55

Getting Around

Barbacena

$50 6.2%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 23.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$38 4.8%

Brasilia

$45 5% 19.8% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Barbacena and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Barbacena vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $201 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

Same time as Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barbacena Brasilia 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
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

Barbacena vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $798 in Barbacena and $916 in Brasilia, so Barbacena is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,196 in Barbacena and $1,374 in Brasilia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Barbacena versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $552 in Barbacena versus $764 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barbacena – a meal for two runs $19 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Barbacena gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.