Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Imbituba

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Imbituba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $852 in Imbituba.

Brasilia $1,000
Imbituba $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,353 in Imbituba.

Brasilia $1,614
Imbituba $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,854 in Imbituba.

Brasilia $2,228
Imbituba $1,854

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Imbituba 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$4.96 R$25.13

77.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$30.58 R$155

30.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.93 R$35.11

19.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.01 R$10.18

35.32%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.13 R$5.71

38.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.49 R$2.48

104.08%

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

$2.38 R$12.07

64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.96 R$4.86

13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.23 R$6.26

68.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$0.86 R$4.37

58.14%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.23 R$11.33

8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$8.47 R$42.95

37.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$3.16 R$16.00

28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$6.60 R$33.47

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.62 R$8.22

53.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$0.79 R$4.00

87.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.23 R$6.25

8.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$0.78 R$3.96

108.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.82 R$4.15

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.22 R$6.16

-14.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.53 R$7.77

-43.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.94 R$4.79

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.12 R$15.82

-19.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$9.76 R$49.48

-14.04%

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

$3.18 R$16.10

-24.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.04 R$5.26

-2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$44.00 R$223

-19.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$2.02 R$10.26

-45.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.62 R$8.23

-42.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$10.13 R$51.3

-39.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.27 R$6.42

1.57%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$25.3K R$128.4K

-7.46%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.1K R$173.0K

-1.23%

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

$96.3 R$488

$61.5 R$312

56.57%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$11.31 R$57.4

11.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$20.89 R$106

8.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$26.13 R$132

28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$28.12 R$143

-0.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$8.68 R$43.98

-10.37%

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

$815 R$4,133

$318 R$1,614

156.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$6,577 R$33.3K

161.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$45.74 R$232

21.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$95.3 R$483

-53.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$89.9 R$456

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$70.1 R$355

25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$361 R$1,830

36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$242 R$1,225

16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$677 R$3,431

66.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$466 R$2,363

27.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,704 R$8,639

48.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,201 R$6,089

45.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.5

15.43%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Imbituba: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Imbituba

$242 28.4% 14.2% $40

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Imbituba

$171 20.1% 19.3% $41

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Imbituba

$108 12.7% 31.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Imbituba

$94 11% 28.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Imbituba

$135 15.9% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Imbituba

$43 5.1% 11.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Imbituba

$58 6.8% 29.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $361 in Imbituba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $31.00 in Imbituba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $171 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

52,579

💱 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

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Between locations

Brasilia Imbituba 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Imbituba

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 Imbituba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Imbituba differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $852 including rent). Imbituba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,499 in Brasilia and $1,278 in Imbituba 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $361 in Imbituba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 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 $852 in Imbituba – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba 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 Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.