Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Lavras

For one person, living is cheaper in Lavras: $824 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Lavras
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Lavras Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Lavras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Lavras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $824 in Lavras.

Brasilia $916
Lavras $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,177 in Lavras.

Brasilia $1,514
Lavras $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,530 in Lavras.

Brasilia $2,112
Lavras $1,530

Living in Brasilia is roughly 11% more expensive than in Lavras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Lavras 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$4.06 R$21.73

107.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$17.26 R$92.3

112.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$7.57 R$40.50

5.42%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$1.72 R$9.22

47.09%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.19 R$6.35

19.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.63 R$3.36

58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$2.01 R$10.75

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$2.17 R$11.58

73.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$0.77 R$4.12

32.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.68 R$8.97

16.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.28 R$6.83

-3.13%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$2.17 R$11.59

4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$9.44 R$50.5

18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$4.09 R$21.89

-5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$7.28 R$38.93

17.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$1.14 R$6.10

102.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.15 R$6.12

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$0.78 R$4.15

61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.14 R$6.11

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$0.76 R$4.05

46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$0.97 R$5.18

1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.79 R$4.24

-3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.73 R$3.88

27.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.34 R$12.51

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$7.31 R$39.09

4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.10 R$5.88

12.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$1.45 R$7.74

62.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.94 R$5.02

-22.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$56.7 R$303

-47.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$0.97 R$5.21

4.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.69 R$3.68

24.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$6.14 R$32.84

-6.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.22 R$6.54

2.46%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$21.6K R$115.6K

1.51%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$31.7K R$169.4K

0.52%

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

$92.1 R$493

$71.4 R$382

28.95%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$9.85 R$52.7

20.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$19.49 R$104

7.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$28.20 R$151

8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$16.82 R$89.9

56.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$7.27 R$38.88

2.61%

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

$764 R$4,087

$265 R$1,418

188.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$3,118 R$16.7K

404.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$57.5 R$307

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$45.65 R$244

-7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$91.5 R$489

-13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$66.4 R$355

25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$336 R$1,795

54.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$232 R$1,239

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$329 R$1,759

251.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$263 R$1,406

120.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,156 R$6,184

107.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$968 R$5,176

73.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$452 R$2,418

73.44%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Lavras: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Lavras

$232 28.1% 4.1% $9.8

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Lavras

$169 20.6% 15.5% $31

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Lavras

$98 11.8% 34.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Lavras

$101 12.2% 19.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Lavras

$117 14.3% 1.3% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Lavras

$43 5.2% 5.9% $2.7

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Lavras

$65 7.9% 70.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $336 in Lavras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $17 in Lavras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $169 per month, with Lavras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Lavras

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

104,761

💱 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 Lavras 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Lavras

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 Lavras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $824 in Lavras, so Lavras is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $336 in Lavras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lavras – a meal for two runs $17 versus $37 in Brasilia. 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 $824 in Lavras – Lavras is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lavras is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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