Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Changsha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $783 in Changsha.

Brasilia $916
Changsha $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,282 in Changsha.

Brasilia $1,514
Changsha $1,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,780 in Changsha.

Brasilia $2,112
Changsha $1,780

Living in Brasilia is roughly 17% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$2.96 ¥19.69

185.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$22.41 ¥149

63.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$4.90 ¥32.60

62.86%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$3.34 ¥22.23

-24.25%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$0.51 ¥3.38

178.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.27 ¥1.82

270.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$1.24 ¥8.24

77.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$1.90 ¥12.61

97.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.97 ¥13.09

-48.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$2.37 ¥15.77

-17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$0.94 ¥6.28

31.91%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$1.72 ¥11.45

31.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$12.99 ¥86.4

-14.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$4.10 ¥27.31

-5.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$11.65 ¥77.5

-26.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$2.84 ¥18.91

-18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.39 ¥9.27

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$1.93 ¥12.83

-34.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$2.02 ¥13.46

-24.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$0.96 ¥6.39

15.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.66 ¥11.04

-40.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.65 ¥4.33

16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.49 ¥3.27

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.92 ¥19.41

-19.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$12.72 ¥84.7

-39.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.03 ¥6.86

20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$1.54 ¥10.27

53.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.35 ¥2.35

108.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$14.75 ¥98.2

101.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.48 ¥9.83

-31.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.31 ¥2.10

177.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$4.56 ¥30.32

26.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.26 ¥8.40

-0.79%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$19.9K ¥132.1K

10.55%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

78.74%

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

$92.1 R$493

$56.1 ¥373

64.18%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$9.08 ¥60.4

30.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$13.61 ¥90.6

53.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$54.8 ¥365

-44.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$24.80 ¥165

6.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$6.54 ¥43.55

14.07%

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

$764 R$4,087

$326 ¥2,172

134.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$17.2K ¥114.3K

-8.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$84.4 ¥562

-37.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$34.62 ¥230

21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$90.0 ¥599

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$61.2 ¥407

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$266 ¥1,772

94.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$167 ¥1,111

44.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$559 ¥3,721

106.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$381 ¥2,536

52.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$2,482 ¥16.5K

-3.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$1,414 ¥9,413

18.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$1,104 ¥7,348

-28.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

3.46

250.29%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 30.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 18.3% $37

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 38.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 36.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 4.8% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 49.5% $22

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 49.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $266 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $22 in Changsha. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $237, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

11 h ahead of Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Changsha 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $783 in Changsha, so Changsha is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Brasilia. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $517 in Brasilia versus $266 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $783 in Changsha – Changsha is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Changsha 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.