Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $699 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Pelotas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $699 in Pelotas.

Brasilia $907
Pelotas $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,085 in Pelotas.

Brasilia $1,501
Pelotas $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,470 in Pelotas.

Brasilia $2,094
Pelotas $1,470

Living in Brasilia is roughly 30% more expensive than in Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Pelotas 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$44.96

$5.64 R$30.81

45.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$205

$16.66 R$91.0

125.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.70

$6.23 R$34.04

28.41%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.30

$2.38 R$13.02

2.52%

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

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.24 R$6.77

10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.31

$0.69 R$3.79

40.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.37

$1.35 R$7.36

68.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.57

$1.51 R$8.24

137.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.14

$0.87 R$4.73

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.55

$1.05 R$5.75

83.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.65

$0.81 R$4.40

50.62%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.27

$2.11 R$11.55

6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$59.9

$9.13 R$49.83

20.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.11

$4.40 R$24.01

-16.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.57

$9.35 R$51.1

-12.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.45

$2.23 R$12.20

2.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.46

$1.07 R$5.87

28.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.78

$1.25 R$6.81

-0.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.16

$1.09 R$5.94

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.15 R$6.30

-5.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.60

$0.95 R$5.17

7.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.15

$0.83 R$4.54

-8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.14

$0.48 R$2.63

95.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.77

$2.16 R$11.82

8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$41.94

$6.83 R$37.29

12.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.75

$0.63 R$3.43

96.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.15

$0.91 R$4.96

143.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.22

$1.09 R$5.93

-29.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$166

$48.56 R$265

-37.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.35 R$7.37

-11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.61

$0.77 R$4.21

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.44

$7.71 R$42.11

-6.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.22 R$6.68

-1.64%

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

$21.4K R$116.8K

$21.8K R$118.9K

-1.72%

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

$31.7K R$172.9K

$31.1K R$169.8K

1.79%

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

$87.9 R$480

$71.3 R$389

23.19%

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

$11.11 R$60.7

$7.04 R$38.46

57.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$110

$18.33 R$100

10.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$166

$18.63 R$102

63.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$140

$18.10 R$98.8

41.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.48

$4.39 R$24.00

64.69%

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

$765 R$4,180

$510 R$2,784

50.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$90.8K

$22.8K R$124.4K

-27.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$290

$32.10 R$175

65.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$227

$28.07 R$153

47.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$430

$54.3 R$296

44.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$444

$72.5 R$396

12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,772

$215 R$1,175

135.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,345

$153 R$838

60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,181

$368 R$2,008

207.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,192

$288 R$1,575

102.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,429 R$7,801

59.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,864

$731 R$3,994

121.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,693

$413 R$2,257

107.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.5

5.39%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pelotas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Pelotas

$153 21.9% 37.7% $93

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Pelotas

$169 24.2% 13.6% $27

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Pelotas

$110 15.7% 25.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Pelotas

$97 13.8% 18.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Pelotas

$84 12% 26.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Pelotas

$27 3.9% 38.9% $17

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Pelotas

$58 8.3% 49.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $215 in Pelotas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $17 in Pelotas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $169 per month, with Pelotas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

325,685

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Pelotas 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Pelotas

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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $699 in Pelotas, so Pelotas is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $215 in Pelotas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pelotas – a meal for two runs $17 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 $699 in Pelotas – Pelotas is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pelotas 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.

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