Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $790 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Brasilia $916
Maceio - Alagoas $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,239 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Brasilia $1,514
Maceio - Alagoas $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,689 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Brasilia $2,112
Maceio - Alagoas $1,689

Living in Brasilia is roughly 16% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Maceio - Alagoas 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.89

$5.70 R$30.99

48.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$200

$27.39 R$149

34.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$43.42

$5.43 R$29.51

46.96%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.74

$1.67 R$9.06

51.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.72

$1.03 R$5.62

37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.48 R$2.64

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.96

$1.50 R$8.18

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.43

$3.89 R$21.17

-3.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.54

$1.01 R$5.51

0.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.63

$1.86 R$10.14

4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.75

$0.99 R$5.40

25.25%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.37

$1.81 R$9.87

25.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.8

$8.63 R$46.92

29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$21.02

$4.19 R$22.79

-7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.66

$6.96 R$37.87

23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.54

$2.66 R$14.45

-13.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.50

$1.06 R$5.75

30.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.84

$1.27 R$6.91

-0.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.27

$1.29 R$6.99

17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.05

$1.37 R$7.43

-18.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.31

$1.18 R$6.44

-16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.11

$0.51 R$2.78

49.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.08

$0.71 R$3.87

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.86

$1.93 R$10.52

22.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.71

$6.66 R$36.23

15.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.75

$1.43 R$7.76

-13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.81

$1.34 R$7.30

76.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$162

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.52

$0.38 R$2.08

165.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.67

$0.39 R$2.10

120.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.40

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.79

$1.13 R$6.12

10.62%

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

$22.0K R$119.4K

$20.5K R$111.5K

7.13%

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

$31.9K R$173.3K

$29.5K R$160.3K

8.07%

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

$92.1 R$501

$75.0 R$408

22.88%

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

$11.85 R$64.4

$15.20 R$82.7

-22.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$114

$16.66 R$90.6

25.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$166

$22.39 R$122

36.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$143

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.61

$5.74 R$31.21

29.97%

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

$764 R$4,158

$204 R$1,111

274.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$85.5K

$6,698 R$36.4K

134.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$286

$50.7 R$276

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$229

$72.2 R$393

-41.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$432

$89.0 R$484

-10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$455

$73.8 R$402

13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,813

$272 R$1,477

90.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,314

$233 R$1,267

3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,290

$459 R$2,499

151.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,153

$447 R$2,430

29.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$13.0K

$1,407 R$7,655

70.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,128

$659 R$3,584

154.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,267

$552 R$3,005

41.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.17

19.17%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$233 29.5% 3.6% $8.6

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Maceio - Alagoas

$179 22.7% 10.7% $22

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$103 13.1% 31.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$107 13.5% 14.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$129 16.3% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Maceio - Alagoas

$34 4.3% 25.4% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.2 * 0.7% 86.3% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $27 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $179 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,031,597

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Maceio - Alagoas 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $790 in Maceio - Alagoas, so Maceio - Alagoas is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $204 in Maceio - Alagoas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas – a meal for two runs $27 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brasilia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Maceio - Alagoas wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.