Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $868 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Belem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $868 in Belem.

Brasilia $1,000
Belem $868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,315 in Belem.

Brasilia $1,614
Belem $1,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,763 in Belem.

Brasilia $2,228
Belem $1,763

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Belem 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$4.66 R$23.64

88.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$19.47 R$98.7

104.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$7.05 R$35.72

17.16%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$1.78 R$9.04

52.81%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$0.92 R$4.67

70.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.44 R$2.25

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.59 R$8.04

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.31 R$11.73

69.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.24 R$6.27

-12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$2.32 R$11.77

-10.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.27 R$6.44

7.09%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$1.95 R$9.87

24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$8.40 R$42.57

38.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.17 R$21.13

-2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$7.01 R$35.51

25.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.20 R$11.14

13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.25 R$6.31

18.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.40 R$7.08

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.53 R$7.74

6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.96 R$4.89

28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.57 R$2.89

82.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.22 R$6.20

-29.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.28 R$6.51

-25.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.57 R$13.00

-1.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$9.67 R$49.00

-13.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.36 R$6.91

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$4.76 R$24.11

-49.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.84 R$4.26

20.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$31.66 R$161

11.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.07 R$5.42

2.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.14 R$5.79

-18.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.35 R$42.31

-26.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.21 R$6.15

6.61%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$22.2K R$112.4K

5.71%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$29.8K R$151.1K

13.05%

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

$96.3 R$488

$88.9 R$450

8.41%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.49 R$53.2

20.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$28.62 R$145

-21.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$19.73 R$100.0

70.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$36.19 R$183

-22.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.28 R$36.92

6.87%

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

$815 R$4,133

$107 R$541

664.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$3,276 R$16.6K

425.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$29.20 R$148

89.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$40.81 R$207

8.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$73.2 R$371

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$62.9 R$319

39.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$488 R$2,475

1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$266 R$1,349

5.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$781 R$3,958

44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$475 R$2,408

24.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,928 R$9,773

30.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,312 R$6,652

33.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$380 R$1,929

123.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.48

5.57%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Belem

$266 30.7% 5.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Belem

$207 23.9% 2.3% $4.9

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Belem

$98 11.3% 37.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Belem

$128 14.7% 2.7% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Belem

$93 10.7% 24.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Belem

$34 4% 30.3% $15

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Belem

$42 4.8% 7.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $488 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 123% 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 $19.00 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $207 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Belem 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 123% higher in Brasilia, 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $488 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 11% less than in Brasilia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $815 in Brasilia versus $107 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $868 in Belem versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem 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.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.