Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Abuja

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Abuja: $1,008 and $996 a month, rent and utilities included.

Brasilia
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,008
/mo nomad
Abuja
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$996
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Abuja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Brasilia versus $996 in Abuja.

  • Brasilia $1,008
  • Abuja $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Brasilia versus $1,978 in Abuja.

  • Brasilia $1,618
  • Abuja $1,978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,959 in Abuja.

  • Brasilia $2,228
  • Abuja $2,959

Living in Brasilia is roughly 1% more expensive than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 25% lower, Abuja 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.23 R$46.81
$2.02 ₦2,693
356.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.99 R$203
$29.94 ₦39.8K
33.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.44 R$42.79
$3.97 ₦5,276
112.59%
Cappuccino
$2.62 R$13.29
$3.34 ₦4,441
-21.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 R$7.70
$0.48 ₦633
216.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 R$4.63
$0.67 ₦896
35.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.43 R$12.30
$1.02 ₦1,360
138.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 R$20.23
$2.08 ₦2,771
91.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R$5.57
$3.73 ₦4,967
-70.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 R$10.47
$1.35 ₦1,791
53.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 R$6.90
$2.28 ₦3,028
-40.35%
Eggs
$2.46 R$12.47
$1.88 ₦2,504
30.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.06 R$61.1
$11.18 ₦14.9K
7.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.00 R$20.29
$5.18 ₦6,886
-22.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.09 R$46.06
$6.09 ₦8,095
49.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.43 R$12.33
$1.99 ₦2,644
22.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R$7.76
$1.49 ₦1,981
2.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 R$6.73
$1.54 ₦2,047
-13.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.73 R$8.76
$2.29 ₦3,046
-24.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 R$5.95
$1.79 ₦2,382
-34.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 R$5.28
$2.36 ₦3,136
-55.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.83 R$4.20
$0.56 ₦742
48.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 R$5.03
$0.39 ₦523
153.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.43 R$12.34
$2.03 ₦2,695
19.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.26 R$41.86
$5.75 ₦7,655
43.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 R$6.50
$1.24 ₦1,644
3.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 R$12.58
$1.85 ₦2,458
34.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 R$5.23
$0.47 ₦619
119.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.05 R$183
$33.13 ₦44.1K
8.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 R$5.32
$0.58 ₦770
81.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.91 R$4.63
$0.83 ₦1,101
9.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.31 R$31.99
$1.85 ₦2,455
241.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R$6.51
$0.54 ₦721
137.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K R$122.5K
$26.3K ₦34.9M
-8.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K R$169.0K
$18.4K ₦24.5M
80.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.4 R$499
$112 ₦148.7K
-11.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.88 R$65.3
$6.52 ₦8,671
97.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.35 R$113
$29.53 ₦39.3K
-24.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.14 R$173
$26.16 ₦34.8K
30.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.34 R$144
$9.71 ₦12.9K
191.86%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 R$39.45
$6.59 ₦8,760
18.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$834 R$4,230
$45.16 ₦60.1K
1747.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.3K R$87.9K
$3,098 ₦4.1M
459.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.8 R$288
$25.73 ₦34.2K
120.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.40 R$230
$61.2 ₦81.5K
-25.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.5 R$433
$78.4 ₦104.3K
9.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.5 R$459
$108 ₦143.3K
-15.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$507 R$2,572
$596 ₦793.2K
-14.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$279 R$1,412
$344 ₦457.8K
-19.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,123 R$5,693
$1,448 ₦1.9M
-22.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$568 R$2,881
$1,537 ₦2.0M
-63.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,518 R$12.8K
$722 ₦959.8K
248.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,744 R$8,840
$376 ₦500.2K
363.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brasilia
Abuja
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$841 R$4,263
$169 ₦224.8K
397.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.12
22.5
-46.13%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brasilia
$279
Abuja
$344 23.5% $66
Groceries & Markets
Brasilia
$214
Abuja
$220 2.6% $5.7
Eating Out
Brasilia
$160
Abuja
$82 48.9% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasilia
$134
Abuja
$148 10.6% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Brasilia
$125
Abuja
$123 1.8% $2.3
Sport & Entertainment
Brasilia
$50
Abuja
$39 20.8% $10
Getting Around
Brasilia
$46
Abuja
$40 13.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Brasilia and $596 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 398% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $30.00 in Abuja. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $220, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Brasilia
🇳🇬 Abuja
🕒 Local time
22:03 10:03 PM
02:03 2:03 AM
4 h ahead of Brasilia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,817,381 Capital
776,298 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brasilia Abuja 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brasilia
  • Abuja

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
Brasilia vs Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Brasilia and in Abuja?
Brasilia and Abuja differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $996 including rent). Abuja is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Brasilia or Abuja?
Average pay runs 398% higher in Brasilia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Brasilia and in Abuja?
Rent for a central apartment: $507 in Brasilia versus $596 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Brasilia or Abuja?
All in, you'll spend $1,008 per month in Brasilia versus $996 in Abuja – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Brasilia and in Abuja?
A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 9% less than in Brasilia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $996 in Abuja versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Brasilia and Abuja?
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.
Where should expats move: Brasilia or Abuja?
Expats usually find Abuja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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