Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
Learn more

Aracaju Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Aracaju

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 Aracaju actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $659 in Aracaju.

Brasilia $907
Aracaju $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,043 in Aracaju.

Brasilia $1,501
Aracaju $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,427 in Aracaju.

Brasilia $2,094
Aracaju $1,427

Living in Brasilia is roughly 38% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Aracaju 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$44.96

$4.63 R$25.28

77.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$205

$21.63 R$118

73.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.70

$5.42 R$29.61

47.60%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.30

$1.92 R$10.48

27.08%

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

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.07 R$5.85

28.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.31

$0.55 R$3.02

76.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.37

$1.88 R$10.25

20.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.57

$2.90 R$15.85

23.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.14

$1.03 R$5.61

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.55

$1.40 R$7.65

37.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.65

$1.09 R$5.94

11.93%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.27

$1.59 R$8.66

41.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$59.9

$6.99 R$38.20

56.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.11

$3.60 R$19.63

2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.57

$6.82 R$37.24

19.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.45

$1.94 R$10.57

17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.46

$1.23 R$6.74

11.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.78

$0.66 R$3.59

87.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.16

$0.82 R$4.49

82.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.03 R$5.61

5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.60

$0.90 R$4.90

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.15

$0.51 R$2.79

49.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.14

$0.70 R$3.83

34.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.77

$2.25 R$12.30

4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$41.94

$5.58 R$30.48

37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.75

$1.14 R$6.22

8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.15

$1.85 R$10.13

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.22

$0.85 R$4.65

-9.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$166

$38.97 R$213

-22.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.16 R$6.33

3.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.61

$0.61 R$3.33

37.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.44

$6.05 R$33.05

19.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.19 R$6.50

0.84%

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

$21.4K R$116.8K

$21.4K R$116.7K

0.14%

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

$31.7K R$172.9K

$31.0K R$169.1K

2.21%

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

$87.9 R$480

$58.7 R$320

49.73%

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

$11.11 R$60.7

$9.26 R$50.6

19.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$110

$15.77 R$86.1

28.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$166

$21.03 R$115

44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$140

$25.96 R$142

-1.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.48

$5.85 R$31.92

23.59%

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

$765 R$4,180

$277 R$1,513

176.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$90.8K

$5,017 R$27.4K

231.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$290

-0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$227

$32.44 R$177

27.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$430

$81.1 R$443

-2.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$444

$75.3 R$411

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,772

$280 R$1,530

81.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,345

$135 R$736

82.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,181

$590 R$3,224

91.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,192

$250 R$1,366

133.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,204 R$6,573

89.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,864

$849 R$4,636

91.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,693

$422 R$2,302

103.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

21.20%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Aracaju

$135 20.5% 45.3% $112

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Aracaju

$154 23.4% 21.4% $42

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Aracaju

$98 14.9% 33.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Aracaju

$84 12.7% 29.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Aracaju

$109 16.5% 5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Aracaju

$33 5% 27.1% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Aracaju

$47 7.1% 19.9% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $280 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $22 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $154 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

602,757

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Aracaju 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Aracaju

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 Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $659 in Aracaju, so Aracaju is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $508 in Brasilia versus $280 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $765 in Brasilia versus $277 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Brasilia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

For families, Aracaju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brasilia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Aracaju wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.