Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $830 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Lages

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $931 in Lages.

Brasilia $1,000
Lages $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,494 in Lages.

Brasilia $1,614
Lages $1,494

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,058 in Lages.

Brasilia $2,228
Lages $2,058

Living in Brasilia is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Lages 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$7.95 R$40.28

10.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$39.35 R$199

1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.90 R$34.96

19.71%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.52 R$12.77

7.94%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.42 R$7.22

10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.06 R$5.39

-5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.48 R$12.56

-6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.98 R$15.10

31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.00 R$5.07

9.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.68 R$8.52

23.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.09 R$5.51

24.77%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.46 R$12.45

-1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.28 R$52.1

13.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.88 R$24.73

-16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.90 R$50.2

-11.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.45 R$12.42

1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.52 R$7.69

-2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.41 R$7.16

-4.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.62 R$8.20

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.25 R$6.34

-1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.08 R$5.47

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.94 R$4.79

-8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.81 R$4.11

17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.54 R$12.87

-0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.22 R$41.66

2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.14 R$5.76

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.26 R$11.47

6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.00 R$5.09

1.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$44.06 R$223

-19.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.28 R$6.51

-14.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.81 R$4.12

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.29 R$42.05

-25.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.34 R$6.77

-3.73%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.9K R$121.4K

-2.12%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.4K R$169.4K

0.89%

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

$96.3 R$488

$77.0 R$390

25.07%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$12.30 R$62.4

2.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.01 R$112

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$25.95 R$132

29.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.71 R$140

0.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.50 R$38.02

3.73%

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

$815 R$4,133

$282 R$1,428

189.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,318 R$37.1K

135.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$50.3 R$255

10.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$57.6 R$292

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$102 R$518

-16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$79.7 R$404

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$362 R$1,833

36.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$245 R$1,241

15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$681 R$3,454

65.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$465 R$2,358

27.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,705 R$8,643

47.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,216 R$6,164

44.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.5

5.39%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lages: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Lages

$245 26.3% 13% $37

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Lages

$207 22.3% 2.4% $5

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Lages

$143 15.3% 9.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Lages

$111 12% 15.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Lages

$130 14% 6.3% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Lages

$41 4.4% 16.8% $8.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Lages

$53 5.7% 18.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $362 in Lages. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $39.00 in Lages for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $207 per month, with Lages cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

164,981

💱 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 Lages 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Lages differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $931 including rent). Lages 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 $1,396 in Lages 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 $362 in Lages. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lages – 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 $931 in Lages – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $931 in Lages versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lages but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Lages 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 Lages gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.