Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $1,008 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Rio de Janeiro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Brasilia versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Brasilia $1,008
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Brasilia versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Brasilia $1,618
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Brasilia $2,228
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 22% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 25% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.23 R$46.81

$10.06 R$51.0

-8.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.99 R$203

$40.44 R$205

-1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.79

$8.55 R$43.35

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R$13.29

$2.38 R$12.04

10.08%

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

$1.52 R$7.70

$1.61 R$8.18

-5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.03 R$5.22

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.30

$2.47 R$12.54

-1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 R$20.23

$3.70 R$18.77

7.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.57

$1.19 R$6.05

-7.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.47

$2.05 R$10.38

0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.28 R$6.49

6.25%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.29 R$11.60

7.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 R$61.1

$10.76 R$54.5

12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 R$20.29

$4.41 R$22.36

-9.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 R$46.06

$9.84 R$49.86

-7.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.81 R$14.25

-13.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.78 R$9.03

-14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.60 R$8.13

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.76

$1.80 R$9.11

-3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.22 R$6.17

-4.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.28

$1.04 R$5.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.77 R$3.92

7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.03

$0.67 R$3.38

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.34

$3.01 R$15.27

-19.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 R$41.86

$8.08 R$40.94

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.19 R$6.03

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R$12.58

$2.51 R$12.73

-1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.23

$0.99 R$5.00

4.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.05 R$183

$50.1 R$254

-28.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.22 R$6.20

-13.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.92 R$4.66

-1.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 R$31.99

$8.97 R$45.45

-29.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.51

$1.30 R$6.57

-1.54%

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

$24.2K R$122.5K

$23.9K R$121.0K

1.18%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$32.9K R$166.6K

1.43%

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

$98.4 R$499

$133 R$676

-26.21%

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

$12.88 R$65.3

$10.82 R$54.8

19.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 R$113

$22.90 R$116

-2.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 R$173

$30.79 R$156

10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.34 R$144

$31.85 R$161

-11.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$8.05 R$40.83

-3.35%

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

$834 R$4,230

$598 R$3,029

39.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K R$87.9K

$13.4K R$68.0K

29.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R$288

$42.04 R$213

35.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 R$230

$49.68 R$252

-8.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 R$433

$74.5 R$378

14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 R$459

$68.7 R$348

31.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 R$2,572

$903 R$4,578

-43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R$1,412

$529 R$2,684

-47.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 R$5,693

$1,326 R$6,724

-15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 R$2,881

$756 R$3,831

-24.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,518 R$12.8K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-37.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 R$8,840

$1,560 R$7,910

11.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 R$4,263

$640 R$3,242

31.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.93

1.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$279 27.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 90% $251

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$214 21.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Brasilia

$160 15.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 2.8% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$134 13.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 25% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$125 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 15.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 5.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Brasilia

$46 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 30.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Brasilia and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $215 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

6,211,223

💱 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 de Janeiro 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Rio de Janeiro

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 de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,289 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $507 in Brasilia versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,008 per month in Brasilia versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,008 in Brasilia versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.