Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Rio Claro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Claro: $837 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Claro
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Rio Claro Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Rio Claro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $837 in Rio Claro.

Brasilia $1,000
Rio Claro $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,268 in Rio Claro.

Brasilia $1,614
Rio Claro $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,699 in Rio Claro.

Brasilia $2,228
Rio Claro $1,699

Living in Brasilia is roughly 19% more expensive than in Rio Claro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Rio Claro 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$5.67 R$28.74

55.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$23.49 R$119

69.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$7.49 R$37.98

10.28%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.26 R$11.46

20.35%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.13 R$5.73

38.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.69 R$3.51

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.13 R$10.78

9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$4.45 R$22.56

-11.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.91 R$4.60

19.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.99 R$10.11

4.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.19 R$6.05

14.29%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.26 R$11.47

7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$9.00 R$45.60

29.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.48 R$22.73

-9.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.47 R$48.00

-7.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.44 R$12.38

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.86 R$9.42

-20.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.40 R$7.08

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.36 R$6.90

19.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.96 R$4.88

28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.20 R$6.09

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.90 R$4.54

-4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.80 R$4.03

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.86 R$14.50

-11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.80 R$44.63

-4.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.65 R$8.37

-20.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$3.73 R$18.92

-35.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.95 R$4.82

6.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$39.85 R$202

-11.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.27 R$6.42

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.41 R$7.16

-34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$9.27 R$46.99

-33.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.19 R$6.01

8.40%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.3K R$117.9K

0.79%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.3K R$173.7K

-1.64%

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

$96.3 R$488

$42.36 R$215

127.38%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$9.36 R$47.45

34.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$18.17 R$92.1

24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$24.25 R$123

38.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$5.96 R$30.22

30.54%

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

$815 R$4,133

$234 R$1,186

248.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$5,435 R$27.6K

216.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$54.5 R$276

1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$57.6 R$292

-23.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$96.0 R$487

-11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$72.8 R$369

20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$282 R$1,429

75.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$222 R$1,127

26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$431 R$2,187

161.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$327 R$1,658

81.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$765 R$3,876

229.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$671 R$3,402

161.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$515 R$2,610

65.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.12

8.99%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio Claro: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Rio Claro

$222 26.6% 21.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Rio Claro

$208 24.9% 1.8% $3.9

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Rio Claro

$122 14.6% 22.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Rio Claro

$70 8.4% 46.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Rio Claro

$126 15.1% 3.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Rio Claro

$36 4.3% 26.5% $13

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Rio Claro

$52 6.2% 15.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $282 in Rio Claro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 65% 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 $23.00 in Rio Claro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $208 per month, with Rio Claro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Rio Claro

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

201,418

💱 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

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Between locations

Brasilia Rio Claro 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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 Claro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Rio Claro differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $837 including rent). Rio Claro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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 $282 in Rio Claro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio Claro – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $837 in Rio Claro – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Claro but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Claro 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 Rio Claro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.