Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Cariacica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cariacica: $880 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cariacica
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Cariacica Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Cariacica

🇧🇷 Brazil

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Cariacica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $880 in Cariacica.

Brasilia $1,000
Cariacica $880

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,401 in Cariacica.

Brasilia $1,614
Cariacica $1,401

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,922 in Cariacica.

Brasilia $2,228
Cariacica $1,922

Living in Brasilia is roughly 14% more expensive than in Cariacica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Cariacica 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$6.06 R$30.70

45.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$31.76 R$161

25.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$7.91 R$40.08

4.42%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.10 R$10.63

29.52%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.29 R$6.56

21.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.82 R$4.18

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.99 R$10.08

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.98 R$15.13

31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.05 R$5.34

3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.68 R$8.51

23.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.24 R$6.26

9.68%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.15 R$10.90

13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$9.55 R$48.42

21.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.17 R$21.12

-2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$8.46 R$42.91

4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.17 R$11.02

14.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.28 R$6.49

15.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.18 R$6.01

13.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.51 R$7.67

7.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.25 R$6.34

-1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.13 R$5.70

-7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.79 R$3.99

8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.77 R$3.93

23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.47 R$12.51

2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.00 R$40.53

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.33 R$6.72

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.13 R$10.81

13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.01 R$5.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$43.96 R$223

-19.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.33 R$6.72

-17.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.89 R$4.53

4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.00 R$40.56

-22.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.27 R$6.45

1.57%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$24.0K R$121.5K

-2.23%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.2K R$168.3K

1.55%

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

$96.3 R$488

$74.3 R$377

29.60%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$12.57 R$63.7

0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$20.82 R$106

8.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$25.76 R$131

30.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.67 R$140

0.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.24 R$36.69

7.46%

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

$815 R$4,133

$277 R$1,402

194.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,134 R$36.2K

141.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$55.3 R$280

0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$50.2 R$254

-11.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$89.1 R$451

-4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$73.7 R$374

19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$361 R$1,831

36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$244 R$1,236

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$675 R$3,423

66.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$477 R$2,416

24.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,741 R$8,828

44.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,183 R$5,996

48.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.18%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cariacica: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Cariacica

$244 27.7% 13.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Cariacica

$192 21.8% 9.5% $20

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Cariacica

$122 13.8% 22.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Cariacica

$108 12.2% 18.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Cariacica

$121 13.7% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Cariacica

$40 4.6% 18.2% $9

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Cariacica

$54 6.1% 19.2% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $361 in Cariacica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $32.00 in Cariacica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $192 per month, with Cariacica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Cariacica

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

353,491

💱 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

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Between locations

Brasilia Cariacica 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Cariacica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Cariacica differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $880 including rent). Cariacica is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,499 in Brasilia and $1,320 in Cariacica 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $361 in Cariacica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cariacica – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,000 per month in Brasilia versus $880 in Cariacica – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $880 in Cariacica versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cariacica but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Cariacica 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 Cariacica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.