Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Recife

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Recife: $916 and $916 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Recife

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $916 in Recife.

Brasilia $916
Recife $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,513 in Recife.

Brasilia $1,514
Recife $1,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $2,111 in Recife.

Brasilia $2,112
Recife $2,111

Monthly costs are close between Brasilia and Recife; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.41

$5.14 R$27.67

64.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$198

$35.46 R$191

3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.96

$9.07 R$48.81

-12.02%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.59

$2.43 R$13.09

4.12%

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

$1.42 R$7.64

$0.98 R$5.29

44.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.39

$0.55 R$2.97

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.83

$1.47 R$7.93

49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.21

$2.96 R$15.95

27.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.49

$1.35 R$7.25

-24.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.51

$1.50 R$8.08

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.68

$1.55 R$8.32

-20.00%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.24

$1.77 R$9.51

28.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.1

$6.70 R$36.04

66.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.79

$4.27 R$22.99

-9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.16

$7.49 R$40.31

14.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.41

$1.31 R$7.05

76.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.42

$1.29 R$6.96

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.77

$0.70 R$3.77

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.18

$1.13 R$6.10

34.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.98

$1.37 R$7.35

-18.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.25

$1.05 R$5.63

-6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.45 R$2.42

68.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.03

$0.82 R$4.42

13.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.72

$1.62 R$8.73

45.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.27

$7.45 R$40.12

2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.67

$1.09 R$5.88

13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.68

$1.41 R$7.60

67.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.92

$0.83 R$4.45

-12.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$160

$37.14 R$200

-19.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.46

$1.18 R$6.33

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.62

$0.67 R$3.61

28.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.06

$3.26 R$17.55

76.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.71

$1.22 R$6.54

2.46%

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

$22.0K R$118.1K

$21.4K R$115.0K

2.73%

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

$31.9K R$171.4K

$32.3K R$173.9K

-1.44%

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

$92.1 R$496

$106 R$573

-13.45%

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

$11.85 R$63.8

$12.64 R$68.0

-6.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$113

$16.28 R$87.6

28.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$164

$20.91 R$113

45.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$32.58 R$175

-19.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.17

$8.44 R$45.44

-11.61%

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

$764 R$4,114

$259 R$1,392

195.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.6K

$11.3K R$61.0K

38.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$283

$42.64 R$229

23.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$227

$47.48 R$256

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$427

$71.8 R$386

10.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$450

$76.1 R$410

9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,783

$533 R$2,869

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,300

$304 R$1,636

-20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,223

$794 R$4,275

45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,119

$731 R$3,933

-20.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.9K

$1,870 R$10.1K

28.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,030

$1,099 R$5,913

52.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,221

$395 R$2,123

98.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.75

3.15%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Recife

$304 33.2% 25.9% $63

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Recife

$169 18.5% 15.5% $31

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Recife

$117 12.8% 22% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Recife

$135 14.8% 8.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Recife

$107 11.7% 7.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Recife

$38 4.1% 16.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Recife

$45 4.9% 18.4% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $533 in Recife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 99% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $35 in Recife for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $169 per month, with Recife cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,488,920

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Recife 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 99% 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 $533 in Recife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $259 in Recife. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Recife – a meal for two runs $35 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Recife is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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