Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Novo Hamburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Hamburgo: $776 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Novo Hamburgo
Learn more

Novo Hamburgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Novo Hamburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Novo Hamburgo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $776 in Novo Hamburgo.

Brasilia $1,000
Novo Hamburgo $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,241 in Novo Hamburgo.

Brasilia $1,614
Novo Hamburgo $1,241

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,706 in Novo Hamburgo.

Brasilia $2,228
Novo Hamburgo $1,706

Living in Brasilia is roughly 29% more expensive than in Novo Hamburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Novo Hamburgo 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$4.88 R$24.74

80.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$18.79 R$95.3

112.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.91 R$35.05

19.54%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$1.58 R$7.99

72.15%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.29 R$6.53

21.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.89 R$4.50

12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.47 R$12.53

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.98 R$15.11

31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.94 R$4.75

15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.69 R$8.54

22.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$0.78 R$3.95

74.36%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.16 R$10.97

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$9.19 R$46.58

26.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.56 R$23.12

-10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$7.14 R$36.22

23.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.39 R$12.12

4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.10 R$5.60

34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.82 R$4.17

63.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.32 R$6.70

23.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.21 R$6.14

1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.98 R$4.97

6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.88 R$4.44

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.58 R$2.94

63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$1.78 R$9.02

41.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$7.60 R$38.53

10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.16 R$5.88

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.23 R$11.29

8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.83 R$4.20

21.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$43.74 R$222

-19.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.26 R$6.40

-12.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.79 R$4.03

17.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.16 R$41.35

-24.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.12 R$5.68

15.18%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$24.2K R$122.9K

-3.33%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.3K R$168.9K

1.15%

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

$96.3 R$488

$78.2 R$397

23.12%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$12.71 R$64.4

-0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.18 R$112

1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$26.30 R$133

27.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.58 R$140

1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.38 R$37.39

5.42%

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

$815 R$4,133

$281 R$1,425

190.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,080 R$35.9K

143.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$46.87 R$238

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$38.13 R$193

16.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$80.3 R$407

5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$42.13 R$214

108.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$267 R$1,354

85.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$190 R$965

47.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$571 R$2,892

97.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$444 R$2,249

33.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,709 R$8,661

47.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,221 R$6,191

43.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$510 R$2,585

66.72%

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: October 18, 2026

Last update for Novo Hamburgo: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Novo Hamburgo

$190 24.6% 32.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Novo Hamburgo

$180 23.2% 15.2% $32

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Novo Hamburgo

$106 13.6% 32.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Novo Hamburgo

$113 14.6% 14% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Novo Hamburgo

$93 12% 23.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Novo Hamburgo

$41 5.3% 16.6% $8.1

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Novo Hamburgo

$52 6.7% 15.9% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $267 in Novo Hamburgo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 67% 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 $19.00 in Novo Hamburgo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $180 per month, with Novo Hamburgo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Novo Hamburgo

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

227,646

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Novo Hamburgo 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Novo Hamburgo

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 Novo Hamburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Novo Hamburgo differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $776 including rent). Novo Hamburgo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% 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 $267 in Novo Hamburgo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novo Hamburgo – a meal for two runs $19.00 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 $776 in Novo Hamburgo – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $776 in Novo Hamburgo versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novo Hamburgo but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Novo Hamburgo 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 Novo Hamburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.