Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Duque de Caxias

For one person, living is cheaper in Duque de Caxias: $806 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Duque de Caxias
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Duque de Caxias Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Duque de Caxias

🇧🇷 Brazil

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Duque de Caxias

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 Duque de Caxias actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $806 in Duque de Caxias.

Brasilia $1,000
Duque de Caxias $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,390 in Duque de Caxias.

Brasilia $1,614
Duque de Caxias $1,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,974 in Duque de Caxias.

Brasilia $2,228
Duque de Caxias $1,974

Living in Brasilia is roughly 24% more expensive than in Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Duque de Caxias 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$7.07 R$35.82

24.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$39.30 R$199

1.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$8.26 R$41.90

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.26 R$11.44

20.35%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.52 R$7.70

3.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.04 R$5.26

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.17 R$10.99

7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.58 R$18.16

9.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.18 R$5.96

-7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$2.06 R$10.46

0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.14 R$5.76

19.30%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.24 R$11.37

8.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$9.06 R$45.91

28.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.51 R$22.87

-9.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.98 R$50.6

-11.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.83 R$14.37

-12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.76 R$8.94

-15.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.58 R$8.00

-15.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.79 R$9.07

-8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.20 R$6.06

2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.06 R$5.38

-1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.76 R$3.85

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.64 R$3.25

48.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.83 R$14.32

-10.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.10 R$41.07

3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.18 R$5.96

11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.49 R$12.61

-3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.98 R$4.97

3.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$43.44 R$220

-18.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.27 R$6.43

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.41 R$7.14

-34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$9.23 R$46.81

-33.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.26 R$6.38

2.38%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

-0.01%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.1K R$172.8K

-1.13%

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

$96.3 R$488

$42.43 R$215

127.01%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.65 R$54.0

18.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$18.29 R$92.7

23.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$25.58 R$130

31.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.88 R$141

-0.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.91 R$40.12

-1.64%

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

$815 R$4,133

$424 R$2,150

92.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,540 R$38.2K

128.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$41.79 R$212

32.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$49.66 R$252

-10.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$95.7 R$485

-11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$85.4 R$433

2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$297 R$1,505

66.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$169 R$857

66.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$789 R$4,000

42.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$443 R$2,248

33.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,286 R$6,519

96.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$570 R$2,891

207.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$302 R$1,530

181.68%

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: October 18, 2026

Last update for Duque de Caxias: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Duque de Caxias

$169 21% 39.9% $112

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Duque de Caxias

$209 25.9% 1.4% $3

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Duque de Caxias

$137 17% 13.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Duque de Caxias

$71 8.9% 45.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Duque de Caxias

$123 15.2% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Duque de Caxias

$41 5.1% 15.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Duque de Caxias

$56 6.9% 23.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $297 in Duque de Caxias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 182% 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 $39.00 in Duque de Caxias for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $209 per month, with Duque de Caxias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Duque de Caxias

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

808,161

💱 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 Duque de Caxias 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Duque de Caxias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Duque de Caxias differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $806 including rent). Duque de Caxias is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 182% 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 $297 in Duque de Caxias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Duque de Caxias – a meal for two runs $39.00 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 $806 in Duque de Caxias – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $806 in Duque de Caxias versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Duque de Caxias but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Duque de Caxias 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 Duque de Caxias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.