Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Cotia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $868 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brasilia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Cotia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $868 in Cotia.

Brasilia $907
Cotia $868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,421 in Cotia.

Brasilia $1,501
Cotia $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,974 in Cotia.

Brasilia $2,094
Cotia $1,974

Living in Brasilia is roughly 5% more expensive than in Cotia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Cotia 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$45.19

$6.41 R$35.19

28.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$206

$37.71 R$207

-0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.92

$8.32 R$45.65

-3.85%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.37

$2.44 R$13.39

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

$1.37 R$7.53

$1.32 R$7.25

3.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.34

$1.08 R$5.94

-10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.43

$2.66 R$14.60

-14.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.67

$4.02 R$22.04

-10.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.17

$1.12 R$6.12

-16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.60

$1.75 R$9.62

10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.15 R$6.32

6.09%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.33

$2.68 R$14.69

-16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$60.2

$11.26 R$61.8

-2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.21

$4.33 R$23.75

-15.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.79

$10.07 R$55.2

-18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.52

$2.53 R$13.91

-9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.66 R$9.12

-17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.46 R$8.03

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.21

$1.76 R$9.65

-14.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.97

$1.34 R$7.33

-18.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.63

$1.21 R$6.63

-15.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.17

$0.84 R$4.61

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.16

$0.69 R$3.79

36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.84

$2.63 R$14.43

-11.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$42.15

$8.28 R$45.46

-7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.78

$1.60 R$8.80

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.21

$2.31 R$12.70

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.24

$0.94 R$5.18

-18.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$167

$42.38 R$233

-28.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.21 R$6.62

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.63

$0.89 R$4.90

-5.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.64

$8.84 R$48.50

-18.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.57

$1.23 R$6.75

-2.44%

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

$21.4K R$117.4K

$21.8K R$119.8K

-1.94%

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

$31.7K R$173.7K

$31.7K R$174.0K

-0.14%

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

$87.9 R$482

$41.28 R$227

112.84%

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

$11.11 R$61.0

$13.58 R$74.5

-18.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$111

$16.86 R$92.6

19.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$167

$24.35 R$134

24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$140

$25.53 R$140

0.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.68

$7.35 R$40.32

-1.63%

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

$765 R$4,201

$401 R$2,203

90.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$91.3K

$7,110 R$39.0K

133.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$291

$52.8 R$290

0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$228

$54.4 R$299

-23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$432

$90.4 R$496

-12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$446

$78.9 R$433

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,786

$340 R$1,865

49.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,352

$230 R$1,261

7.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,212

$643 R$3,530

75.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,208

$452 R$2,479

29.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,611 R$8,840

41.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,909

$1,144 R$6,281

41.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,717

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.12

8.99%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cotia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Cotia

$230 26.5% 6.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Cotia

$214 24.7% 9.2% $18

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Cotia

$136 15.7% 7.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Cotia

$72 8.3% 39.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Cotia

$124 14.3% 8.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Cotia

$39 4.5% 13% $5.8

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Cotia

$52 6% 33.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $340 in Cotia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $38 in Cotia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $214 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Cotia

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

274,413

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Cotia 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Cotia

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 Cotia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $868 in Cotia, so Cotia is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,360 in Brasilia and $1,301 in Cotia 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $340 in Cotia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $765 in Brasilia versus $401 in Cotia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Brasilia runs roughly 28% less than in Cotia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Cotia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.