Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $907 a month against $969 in Joao Pessoa, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $969 in Joao Pessoa.

Brasilia $907
Joao Pessoa $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,496 in Joao Pessoa.

Brasilia $1,501
Joao Pessoa $1,496

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $2,023 in Joao Pessoa.

Brasilia $2,094
Joao Pessoa $2,023

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 6% less than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Joao Pessoa 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$44.77

$6.54 R$35.55

25.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$204

$27.48 R$149

36.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.51

$7.37 R$40.08

8.55%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.24

$1.42 R$7.75

71.83%

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

$1.37 R$7.46

$0.97 R$5.28

41.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.29

$0.66 R$3.61

46.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.32

$1.70 R$9.26

33.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.49

$3.39 R$18.44

5.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.12

$1.13 R$6.14

-16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.51

$1.90 R$10.32

1.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.62

$1.42 R$7.71

-14.08%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.22

$1.89 R$10.26

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$59.6

$7.74 R$42.05

41.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.02

$4.62 R$25.11

-20.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.37

$6.85 R$37.25

19.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.40

$2.95 R$16.04

-22.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.43

$0.94 R$5.12

45.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.75

$0.83 R$4.53

49.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.13

$1.07 R$5.84

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.91

$1.51 R$8.19

-27.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.57

$1.17 R$6.36

-12.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.13

$0.70 R$3.81

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.11

$0.99 R$5.40

-5.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.72

$2.81 R$15.29

-16.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$41.76

$8.38 R$45.58

-8.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.72

$1.49 R$8.12

-16.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.09

$3.03 R$16.49

-26.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.20

$0.99 R$5.38

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$165

$63.2 R$344

-52.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.52

$1.85 R$10.06

-35.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.59

$1.89 R$10.28

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.26

$2.99 R$16.27

141.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.51

$1.21 R$6.58

-0.83%

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

$21.4K R$116.3K

$22.0K R$119.3K

-2.53%

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

$31.7K R$172.1K

$30.7K R$167.0K

3.09%

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

$87.9 R$478

$119 R$648

-26.27%

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

$11.11 R$60.4

$20.81 R$113

-46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$110

$21.65 R$118

-6.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$165

$35.08 R$191

-13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$139

$27.65 R$150

-7.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.30

$9.70 R$52.7

-25.46%

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

$765 R$4,161

$400 R$2,173

91.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$90.4K

$6,320 R$34.4K

163.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$288

$50.6 R$275

4.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$226

$62.0 R$337

-33.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$428

$80.9 R$440

-2.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$442

$71.6 R$389

13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,759

$369 R$2,006

37.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,339

$251 R$1,362

-1.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,154

$612 R$3,326

85.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,177

$483 R$2,628

20.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.4K

$2,264 R$12.3K

0.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,825

$1,122 R$6,101

44.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,672

$476 R$2,589

80.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.18%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Joao Pessoa

$251 25.9% 1.7% $4.2

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Joao Pessoa

$191 19.7% 2.4% $4.7

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Joao Pessoa

$113 11.7% 22.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Joao Pessoa

$162 16.7% 35.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Joao Pessoa

$119 12.3% 4.1% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Joao Pessoa

$54 5.6% 21.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Joao Pessoa

$78 8.1% 102% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $27 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $191 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

833,932

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Joao Pessoa 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $969 in Joao Pessoa, so Brasilia is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $765 in Brasilia versus $400 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Joao Pessoa – a meal for two runs $27 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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