Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Brasilia despite lower rent and utilities.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
Learn more

Palmas Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Palmas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $830 in Palmas.

Brasilia $907
Palmas $830

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,281 in Palmas.

Brasilia $1,501
Palmas $1,281

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,733 in Palmas.

Brasilia $2,094
Palmas $1,733

Living in Brasilia is roughly 9% more expensive than in Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$45.19

$3.83 R$21.01

114.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$206

$21.86 R$120

71.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.92

$7.41 R$40.65

7.96%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.37

$1.73 R$9.48

41.04%

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

$1.37 R$7.53

$1.63 R$8.96

-15.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.34

$0.81 R$4.45

19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.43

$1.46 R$7.99

55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.67

$2.72 R$14.91

31.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.17

$1.02 R$5.60

-7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.60

$1.34 R$7.36

44.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.68

$2.76 R$15.15

-55.80%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.33

$2.41 R$13.24

-6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$60.2

$6.62 R$36.36

65.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.21

$2.95 R$16.20

24.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.79

$5.75 R$31.58

41.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.52

$2.18 R$11.97

4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.56 R$8.57

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.13 R$6.21

9.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.21

$1.08 R$5.93

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.97

$1.19 R$6.51

-8.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.63

$1.04 R$5.72

-1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.17

$0.75 R$4.13

1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.16

$0.71 R$3.90

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.84

$2.06 R$11.30

13.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$42.15

$6.42 R$35.25

19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.78

$1.24 R$6.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.21

$2.01 R$11.02

10.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.24

$0.74 R$4.09

4.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$167

$41.72 R$229

-27.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.30 R$7.14

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.63

$0.70 R$3.83

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.64

$6.26 R$34.35

15.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.57

$1.11 R$6.08

8.11%

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

$21.4K R$117.4K

$19.7K R$108.0K

8.73%

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

$31.7K R$173.7K

$30.8K R$169.3K

2.62%

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

$87.9 R$482

$106 R$581

-16.98%

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

$11.11 R$61.0

$10.92 R$59.9

1.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$111

$18.50 R$102

9.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$167

$21.99 R$121

38.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$140

$26.12 R$143

-2.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.68

$6.13 R$33.62

17.94%

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

$765 R$4,201

$142 R$779

439.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$91.3K

$6,428 R$35.3K

158.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$291

$33.94 R$186

56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$228

$49.29 R$271

-15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$432

$106 R$582

-25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$446

$66.9 R$367

21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,786

$309 R$1,696

64.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,352

$233 R$1,276

5.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,212

$611 R$3,354

85.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,208

$461 R$2,532

26.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,616 R$8,869

41.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,909

$1,140 R$6,257

42.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,717

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Palmas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Palmas

$233 28% 5.6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Palmas

$167 20.1% 15% $29

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Palmas

$96 11.6% 34.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Palmas

$135 16.3% 13.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Palmas

$115 13.9% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Palmas

$34 4.1% 23.7% $11

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Palmas

$49 6% 27.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $309 in Palmas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $22 in Palmas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $167 per month, with Palmas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

302,692

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Palmas 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $830 in Palmas, so Palmas is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,360 in Brasilia and $1,244 in Palmas 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $309 in Palmas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Palmas – a meal for two runs $22 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $907 per month in Brasilia versus $830 in Palmas – Palmas is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Palmas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.