Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Rio Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $847 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Rio Branco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $847 in Rio Branco.

Brasilia $916
Rio Branco $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,331 in Rio Branco.

Brasilia $1,514
Rio Branco $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,815 in Rio Branco.

Brasilia $2,112
Rio Branco $1,815

Living in Brasilia is roughly 8% more expensive than in Rio Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Rio Branco 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$6.68 R$35.74

26.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$24.63 R$132

49.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$7.16 R$38.29

11.45%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$2.82 R$15.10

-10.28%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.28 R$6.86

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.72 R$3.83

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$1.90 R$10.18

15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$2.75 R$14.71

36.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$0.99 R$5.28

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.54 R$8.24

26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.16 R$6.20

6.90%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$1.99 R$10.64

14.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$8.67 R$46.34

28.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$4.08 R$21.81

-5.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$7.89 R$42.17

8.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$2.06 R$11.01

12.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.23 R$6.58

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$1.09 R$5.84

15.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.46 R$7.78

4.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.13 R$6.05

-1.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.01 R$5.39

-2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.77 R$4.11

-1.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.76 R$4.06

22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.28 R$12.20

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$7.30 R$39.02

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.04 R$5.54

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$1.92 R$10.25

22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.63 R$3.36

15.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$42.25 R$226

-29.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.24 R$6.62

-18.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.85 R$4.53

1.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$7.55 R$40.34

-23.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

$1.28 R$6.86

-2.34%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$22.0K R$117.8K

-0.33%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$31.5K R$168.4K

1.13%

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

$92.1 R$493

$72.1 R$385

27.80%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$11.32 R$60.6

4.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$19.70 R$105

6.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$24.58 R$131

23.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$25.43 R$136

3.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$6.60 R$35.29

13.03%

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

$764 R$4,087

$264 R$1,410

189.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$6,146 R$32.9K

155.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$51.0 R$273

3.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$46.00 R$246

-8.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$85.0 R$454

-6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$66.8 R$357

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$343 R$1,831

50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$233 R$1,248

3.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$623 R$3,332

85.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$453 R$2,420

28.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,562 R$8,351

53.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$1,550 R$8,288

8.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$238 R$1,271

229.95%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Rio Branco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Rio Branco

$233 27.6% 3.3% $8

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Rio Branco

$178 21.1% 11% $22

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Rio Branco

$132 15.6% 12.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Rio Branco

$103 12.2% 17.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Rio Branco

$112 13.2% 3.5% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Rio Branco

$38 4.5% 16.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Rio Branco

$50 5.9% 32.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $343 in Rio Branco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $25 in Rio Branco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $178 per month, with Rio Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

2 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

364,756

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Brasilia Rio Branco 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $847 in Rio Branco, so Rio Branco is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 3.3 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $343 in Rio Branco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio Branco – a meal for two runs $25 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $847 in Rio Branco – Rio Branco is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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