Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Guarulhos

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Guarulhos: $1,000 and $964 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
Learn more

Guarulhos Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Guarulhos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $964 in Guarulhos.

Brasilia $1,000
Guarulhos $964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,764 in Guarulhos.

Brasilia $1,614
Guarulhos $1,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,565 in Guarulhos.

Brasilia $2,228
Guarulhos $2,565

Living in Brasilia is roughly 4% more expensive than in Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Guarulhos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$8.69 R$44.06

1.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$40.01 R$203

-0.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$9.00 R$45.61

-8.22%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.46 R$12.50

10.57%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.35 R$6.82

16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.86 R$4.37

16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.44 R$12.39

-4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.88 R$19.65

1.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.05 R$5.32

3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.88 R$9.52

10.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.33 R$6.76

2.26%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.46 R$12.47

-1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$12.61 R$63.9

-7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.79 R$24.27

-15.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$10.70 R$54.3

-17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.38 R$12.07

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.72 R$8.71

-13.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.53 R$7.74

-12.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.53 R$7.76

6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.26 R$6.40

-2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.18 R$6.00

-11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.98 R$4.97

-12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.85 R$4.32

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.49 R$12.65

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$9.88 R$50.1

-15.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.50 R$7.62

-12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.49 R$12.64

-3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.24 R$6.30

-18.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$105 R$532

-66.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.17 R$5.94

-5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.72 R$3.64

29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.49 R$43.03

-27.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.28 R$6.50

0.78%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.6K R$119.5K

-0.62%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-1.49%

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

$96.3 R$488

$91.6 R$465

5.11%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$14.98 R$75.9

-15.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.33 R$113

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$28.22 R$143

19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$10.05 R$50.9

-22.59%

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

$815 R$4,133

$429 R$2,173

90.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$11.0K R$56.0K

55.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$65.1 R$330

-14.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$57.1 R$289

-22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$92.2 R$467

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$79.5 R$403

10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$349 R$1,770

41.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$158 R$801

78.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$995 R$5,042

13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$768 R$3,895

-22.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,944 R$9,855

29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,480 R$7,502

18.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$378 R$1,914

125.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.25

7.73%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 43.9% $124

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 7% $15

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 1.7% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 1.9% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 7.8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 1.8% $0.9

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 154% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $349 in Guarulhos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 125% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $227 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,291,771

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Guarulhos 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Guarulhos differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $964 including rent). Guarulhos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 125% 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 $349 in Guarulhos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Guarulhos – a meal for two runs $40.00 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 $964 in Guarulhos – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $964 in Guarulhos versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guarulhos but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Guarulhos 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 Guarulhos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.