Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $608 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Nova Friburgo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $608 in Nova Friburgo.

Brasilia $1,000
Nova Friburgo $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,017 in Nova Friburgo.

Brasilia $1,614
Nova Friburgo $1,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,426 in Nova Friburgo.

Brasilia $2,228
Nova Friburgo $1,426

Living in Brasilia is roughly 64% more expensive than in Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Nova Friburgo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$6.05 R$30.66

45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$29.82 R$151

33.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.36 R$32.25

29.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$1.75 R$8.88

55.43%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$0.91 R$4.61

72.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.57 R$2.88

75.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.22 R$6.17

90.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.42 R$12.28

61.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.02 R$5.15

6.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.49 R$7.55

38.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.37 R$6.94

-0.73%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$1.97 R$9.98

23.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$8.78 R$44.51

32.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$3.32 R$16.84

22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.63 R$48.83

-8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.63 R$8.25

52.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.20 R$6.09

23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.98 R$4.96

36.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.26 R$6.41

29.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.70 R$3.56

75.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.86 R$4.37

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.57 R$2.90

50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.82 R$4.14

15.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$1.57 R$7.94

60.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$6.04 R$30.60

38.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$0.97 R$4.90

35.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.37 R$6.95

75.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.98 R$4.98

3.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.21 R$6.12

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.55 R$2.77

69.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$6.71 R$34.02

-8.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.28 R$6.50

0.78%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$19.7K R$99.7K

19.17%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$30.5K R$154.5K

10.57%

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

$96.3 R$488

$40.04 R$203

140.56%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$9.52 R$48.26

32.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$18.79 R$95.2

20.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$21.63 R$110

55.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$6.84 R$34.69

13.74%

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

$815 R$4,133

$142 R$719

474.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$2,604 R$13.2K

561.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$68.6 R$348

-19.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$83.6 R$424

-47.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$67.1 R$340

26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$47.52 R$241

84.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$156 R$789

217.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$99.8 R$506

182.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$395 R$2,005

184.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$236 R$1,195

151.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,578 R$7,998

59.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$785 R$3,980

123.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$501 R$2,542

69.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.67

13.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4% 64.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2% 19.2% $41

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3% 33.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2% 48% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7% 2.1% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8% 28.2% $14

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 82.6% $37

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 $494 in Brasilia and $156 in Nova Friburgo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $30.00 in Nova Friburgo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $171 per month, with Nova Friburgo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

189,939

💱 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 Nova Friburgo 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Nova Friburgo differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $608 including rent). Nova Friburgo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $156 in Nova Friburgo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Brasilia versus $142 in Nova Friburgo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nova Friburgo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $608 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nova Friburgo but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Friburgo 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 Nova Friburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.