Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Belo Horizonte

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Belo Horizonte: $1,000 and $971 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
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Belo Horizonte Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$971

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Belo Horizonte

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $971 in Belo Horizonte.

Brasilia $1,000
Belo Horizonte $971

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,574 in Belo Horizonte.

Brasilia $1,614
Belo Horizonte $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,177 in Belo Horizonte.

Brasilia $2,228
Belo Horizonte $2,177

Living in Brasilia is roughly 3% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Belo Horizonte 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$6.03 R$30.57

45.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$37.56 R$190

6.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$8.68 R$43.99

-4.84%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.30 R$11.65

18.26%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.42 R$7.20

10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.76 R$3.85

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.16 R$10.96

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.59 R$18.18

9.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.01 R$5.11

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.79 R$9.06

15.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$2.02 R$10.25

-32.67%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.28 R$11.55

6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.07 R$51.0

15.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.29 R$21.75

-5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$7.86 R$39.87

11.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.92 R$9.75

29.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.26 R$6.40

17.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.19 R$6.02

12.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.60 R$8.10

1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.08 R$5.49

13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.97 R$4.91

7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.81 R$4.10

6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.92 R$4.65

3.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.55 R$12.95

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$7.84 R$39.75

7.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.36 R$6.90

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.76 R$13.97

-12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.22 R$6.21

-17.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$68.2 R$346

-48.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.02 R$5.19

7.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.76 R$3.85

22.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$6.43 R$32.60

-4.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.26 R$6.40

2.38%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.3K R$118.3K

0.46%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.8K R$171.6K

-0.42%

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

$96.3 R$488

$78.8 R$400

22.22%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.20 R$51.7

23.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$21.16 R$107

6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$28.93 R$147

16.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$44.55 R$226

-37.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.72 R$39.15

0.78%

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

$815 R$4,133

$463 R$2,348

76.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$13.6K R$69.1K

26.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$61.9 R$314

-10.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$48.18 R$244

-8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$99.1 R$502

-14.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$72.8 R$369

20.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$569 R$2,882

-13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$286 R$1,449

-1.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$912 R$4,621

23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$593 R$3,008

-0.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$2,312 R$11.7K

9.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,087 R$5,508

61.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$624 R$3,161

36.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.25

7.73%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Belo Horizonte

$286 29.4% 1.5% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Belo Horizonte

$198 20.4% 6.7% $14

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Belo Horizonte

$129 13.2% 18.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Belo Horizonte

$110 11.3% 16.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Belo Horizonte

$127 13.1% 3.4% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6% 9.8% $4.8

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Belo Horizonte

$78 8% 72.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $569 in Belo Horizonte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 36% 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 $38.00 in Belo Horizonte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $198 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

2,315,560

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Belo Horizonte 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Belo Horizonte

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 Belo Horizonte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Belo Horizonte differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $971 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $569 in Belo Horizonte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Brasilia versus $463 in Belo Horizonte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Brasilia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.