Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Itu

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Itu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $719 in Itu.

Brasilia $916
Itu $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,300 in Itu.

Brasilia $1,514
Itu $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,882 in Itu.

Brasilia $2,112
Itu $1,882

Living in Brasilia is roughly 27% more expensive than in Itu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Itu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$5.36 R$28.67

57.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$38.63 R$207

-4.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$5.99 R$32.04

33.22%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$1.63 R$8.70

55.21%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$0.72 R$3.85

97.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.49 R$2.62

104.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$1.14 R$6.09

92.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$1.88 R$10.03

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$0.85 R$4.55

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.44 R$7.69

35.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.18 R$6.29

5.08%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$2.16 R$11.55

5.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$9.33 R$49.88

19.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$3.64 R$19.46

6.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$5.62 R$30.04

52.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$1.62 R$8.68

42.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.26 R$6.73

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$0.76 R$4.08

65.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.95 R$10.45

-22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$0.97 R$5.21

14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$0.99 R$5.27

-1.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.73 R$3.90

4.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.45 R$2.40

106.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.32 R$12.43

1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$5.50 R$29.40

39.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.19 R$6.34

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$1.88 R$10.07

25.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$1.01 R$5.38

-27.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$42.39 R$227

-29.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$0.90 R$4.82

12.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.90 R$4.80

-4.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$7.24 R$38.69

-20.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$0.91 R$4.85

37.36%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

-0.04%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$26.5K R$141.9K

20.05%

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

$92.1 R$493

$78.1 R$418

17.98%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$11.00 R$58.8

7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$15.94 R$85.2

31.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$24.10 R$129

26.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$26.43 R$141

-0.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$4.52 R$24.18

65.04%

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

$764 R$4,087

$198 R$1,060

285.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$7,502 R$40.1K

109.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$46.56 R$249

13.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$36.52 R$195

15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$64.2 R$343

23.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$47.18 R$252

77.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$301 R$1,609

71.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$185 R$991

30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$735 R$3,931

57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$617 R$3,299

-6.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,600 R$8,554

49.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$1,135 R$6,068

47.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$275 R$1,469

185.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

12.38

-2.10%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Itu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Itu

$185 25.8% 23.3% $56

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Itu

$162 22.5% 19.4% $39

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Itu

$95 13.2% 36.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Itu

$105 14.6% 15.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Itu

$88 12.2% 24.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Itu

$33 4.6% 27% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Itu

$52 7.2% 36.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $301 in Itu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $39 in Itu. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $162, with Itu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Itu

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

168,240

💱 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

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Between locations

Brasilia Itu 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Itu

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 Itu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $719 in Itu, so Itu is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2.9 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 $301 in Itu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $37 versus $39 in Itu. 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 $719 in Itu – Itu is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Itu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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