Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $732 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
Learn more

Contagem Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Contagem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $732 in Contagem.

Brasilia $916
Contagem $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,176 in Contagem.

Brasilia $1,514
Contagem $1,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,621 in Contagem.

Brasilia $2,112
Contagem $1,621

Living in Brasilia is roughly 25% more expensive than in Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Contagem 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$5.70 R$30.46

48.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$27.50 R$147

33.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$6.69 R$35.75

19.28%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$1.62 R$8.64

56.17%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.33 R$7.10

6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.58 R$3.08

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$1.23 R$6.56

78.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$2.36 R$12.61

59.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$0.95 R$5.08

7.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.70 R$9.07

14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.26 R$6.75

-1.59%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$1.82 R$9.75

24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$9.19 R$49.12

21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$3.34 R$17.83

15.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$7.26 R$38.84

18.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$1.76 R$9.43

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.15 R$6.13

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$0.91 R$4.89

38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.48 R$7.92

2.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.02 R$5.45

8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$0.97 R$5.21

1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.74 R$3.94

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.76 R$4.06

22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$1.45 R$7.76

62.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$5.49 R$29.37

39.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$0.92 R$4.91

34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$1.26 R$6.75

87.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$1.35 R$7.22

-45.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$74.1 R$396

-59.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.06 R$5.65

-4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.73 R$3.88

17.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$6.08 R$32.50

-5.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.23 R$6.56

1.63%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$21.9K R$117.3K

0.08%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$29.6K R$158.1K

7.73%

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

$92.1 R$493

$73.6 R$393

25.25%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$9.32 R$49.85

27.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$18.04 R$96.5

16.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$24.94 R$133

22.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$21.90 R$117

20.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$6.78 R$36.24

10.03%

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

$764 R$4,087

$133 R$710

476.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$2,489 R$13.3K

531.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$57.4 R$307

-8.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$45.12 R$241

-6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$62.4 R$334

27.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$45.24 R$242

84.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$213 R$1,141

142.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$143 R$765

68.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$453 R$2,420

155.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$302 R$1,615

91.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,856 R$9,924

29.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$926 R$4,950

81.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$242 R$1,292

224.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.67

13.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Contagem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Contagem

$143 19.6% 40.8% $98

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Contagem

$167 22.8% 16.8% $34

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Contagem

$103 14.2% 31% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Contagem

$101 13.8% 19.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Contagem

$95 12.9% 18.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Contagem

$39 5.3% 15.2% $6.9

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Contagem

$84 11.5% 122% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $213 in Contagem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $28 in Contagem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $167 per month, with Contagem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

621,863

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Contagem 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $732 in Contagem, so Contagem is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $213 in Contagem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Contagem – a meal for two runs $28 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 $732 in Contagem – Contagem is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Contagem wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.