Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Barbacena

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.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Barbacena

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

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

Brasilia $916
Barbacena $798

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

Brasilia $1,514
Barbacena $1,216

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

Brasilia $2,112
Barbacena $1,634

Living in Brasilia is roughly 15% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$5.08 R$27.15

66.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$19.42 R$104

89.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.67

$5.72 R$30.56

39.51%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$1.55 R$8.29

63.23%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.80 R$4.29

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$1.22 R$6.55

80.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$2.00 R$10.70

88.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.07 R$5.70

-4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.44

$1.99 R$10.62

-2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.17 R$6.28

5.98%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$2.21 R$11.82

2.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$10.04 R$53.7

11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$4.25 R$22.71

-9.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$8.98 R$48.00

-4.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.32

$2.72 R$14.55

-15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.62 R$8.66

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$1.47 R$7.88

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.76 R$9.41

-13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.18 R$6.30

-5.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.01 R$5.39

-2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.70 R$3.77

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.62 R$3.30

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.72 R$14.53

-13.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$7.51 R$40.12

2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.09 R$5.84

13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$2.32 R$12.39

1.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.94 R$5.00

-22.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$40.71 R$218

-26.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.17 R$6.24

-13.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.80 R$4.26

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$8.52 R$45.56

-32.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.21 R$6.49

3.31%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$21.9K R$116.8K

0.46%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$32.1K R$171.3K

-0.62%

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

$92.1 R$492

$125 R$668

-26.24%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$10.19 R$54.5

16.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$21.67 R$116

-3.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$22.66 R$121

34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$28.16 R$151

-6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$7.61 R$40.70

-1.97%

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

$764 R$4,087

$552 R$2,952

38.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.0K

$12.1K R$64.5K

30.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$39.68 R$212

32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$45.40 R$243

-7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$424

$69.3 R$370

14.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$61.9 R$331

34.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,764

$218 R$1,167

136.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$159 R$852

51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,182

$401 R$2,145

188.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$293 R$1,568

97.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,641 R$8,774

46.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,971

$1,139 R$6,087

47.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,193

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.93

1.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Barbacena

$159 20% 34% $82

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Barbacena

$201 25.2% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Barbacena

$95 12% 36.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Barbacena

$157 19.7% 25.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Barbacena

$97 12.2% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Barbacena

$38 4.8% 16.5% $7.5

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Barbacena

$50 6.2% 30.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $19 in Barbacena. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $201, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

125,317

💱 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

Brasilia Barbacena 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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 Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,374 in Brasilia and $1,196 in Barbacena 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $218 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $552 in Barbacena. 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.