Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Rio das Ostras

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $720 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
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Rio das Ostras Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Rio das Ostras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $720 in Rio das Ostras.

Brasilia $1,000
Rio das Ostras $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,206 in Rio das Ostras.

Brasilia $1,614
Rio das Ostras $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,693 in Rio das Ostras.

Brasilia $2,228
Rio das Ostras $1,693

Living in Brasilia is roughly 39% more expensive than in Rio das Ostras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Rio das Ostras 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$6.11 R$30.99

44.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$29.93 R$152

33.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.91 R$35.02

19.54%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$1.77 R$8.99

53.67%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.33 R$6.73

18.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.62 R$3.13

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.21 R$6.16

92.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.03 R$15.37

29.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.95 R$4.84

14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.56 R$7.91

32.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.25 R$6.34

8.80%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$1.95 R$9.88

24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$8.04 R$40.76

44.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$3.49 R$17.68

16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$8.56 R$43.40

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.95 R$9.87

27.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.21 R$6.14

22.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.93 R$4.74

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.27 R$6.45

28.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.71 R$3.59

73.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.81 R$4.09

28.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.57 R$2.91

50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.72 R$3.67

31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.27 R$11.53

11.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$9.18 R$46.51

-8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$2.11 R$10.69

-37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.44 R$7.28

67.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.02 R$5.18

-0.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$43.98 R$223

-19.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.37 R$6.95

-19.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.76 R$3.87

22.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.02 R$40.63

-23.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.17 R$5.93

10.26%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$21.1K R$106.8K

11.21%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$31.3K R$158.8K

7.57%

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

$96.3 R$488

$69.9 R$354

37.84%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.00 R$50.7

25.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$18.83 R$95.5

19.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$23.61 R$120

42.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.53 R$140

1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$6.75 R$34.23

15.26%

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

$815 R$4,133

$327 R$1,658

149.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,611 R$38.6K

126.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$56.6 R$287

-2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$28.31 R$144

56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$66.8 R$338

27.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$48.51 R$246

81.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$198 R$1,004

149.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$151 R$766

86.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$529 R$2,682

112.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$400 R$2,029

48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,730 R$8,770

45.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,223 R$6,198

43.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$542 R$2,748

56.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

21.20%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Rio das Ostras

$151 21% 46.3% $130

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Rio das Ostras

$179 24.8% 15.7% $33

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.4% 29.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Rio das Ostras

$99 13.7% 24.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.5% 26.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2% 24.6% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Rio das Ostras

$53 7.4% 18.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $198 in Rio das Ostras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 57% 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 $30.00 in Rio das Ostras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $179 per month, with Rio das Ostras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

156,491

💱 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 das Ostras 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 das Ostras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Rio das Ostras differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $720 including rent). Rio das Ostras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $198 in Rio das Ostras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio das Ostras – a meal for two runs $30.00 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 $720 in Rio das Ostras – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $720 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio das Ostras but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Rio das Ostras 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 das Ostras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.