Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Salvador

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Salvador: $1,008 and $977 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
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Salvador Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Salvador

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Brasilia versus $977 in Salvador.

Brasilia $1,008
Salvador $977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Brasilia versus $1,501 in Salvador.

Brasilia $1,618
Salvador $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,024 in Salvador.

Brasilia $2,228
Salvador $2,024

Living in Brasilia is roughly 3% more expensive than in Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 25% lower, Salvador 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.23 R$46.81

$8.31 R$42.12

11.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.99 R$203

$36.15 R$183

10.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.79

$7.90 R$40.06

6.84%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R$13.29

$2.59 R$13.15

1.16%

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

$1.52 R$7.70

$1.33 R$6.73

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$0.88 R$4.46

3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.30

$2.53 R$12.84

-3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 R$20.23

$4.02 R$20.40

-0.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.57

$1.42 R$7.20

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.47

$1.53 R$7.76

35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.26 R$6.38

7.94%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.11 R$10.70

16.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 R$61.1

$9.44 R$47.86

27.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 R$20.29

$4.53 R$22.98

-11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 R$46.06

$7.08 R$35.90

28.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.16 R$10.93

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.55 R$7.86

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.17 R$5.94

13.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.76

$1.38 R$6.99

25.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.09 R$5.55

7.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.28

$1.33 R$6.75

-21.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.79 R$4.03

5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.03

$1.11 R$5.65

-10.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.34

$2.43 R$12.31

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 R$41.86

$6.09 R$30.86

35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.29 R$6.54

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R$12.58

$2.04 R$10.32

21.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.23

$1.21 R$6.15

-14.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.05 R$183

$59.7 R$303

-39.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.67 R$8.46

-37.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.19 R$6.02

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 R$31.99

$9.79 R$49.63

-35.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.51

$1.34 R$6.77

-4.48%

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

$24.2K R$122.5K

$23.4K R$118.5K

3.32%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$33.3K R$168.8K

0.09%

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

$98.4 R$499

$94.2 R$478

4.48%

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

$12.88 R$65.3

$9.72 R$49.30

32.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 R$113

$17.47 R$88.6

27.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 R$173

$26.01 R$132

31.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.34 R$144

$17.77 R$90.1

59.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$7.50 R$38.01

3.73%

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

$834 R$4,230

$373 R$1,890

123.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K R$87.9K

$15.6K R$78.9K

11.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R$288

$58.9 R$298

-3.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 R$230

$35.45 R$180

28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 R$433

$89.2 R$452

-4.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 R$459

$83.1 R$421

8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 R$2,572

$526 R$2,669

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R$1,412

$279 R$1,416

-0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 R$5,693

$949 R$4,810

18.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 R$2,881

$456 R$2,310

24.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,518 R$12.8K

$2,145 R$10.9K

17.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 R$8,840

$1,372 R$6,956

27.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 R$4,263

$397 R$2,010

112.04%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Salvador: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$279 27.7%

Salvador

$279 28.6% 0.3% $0.8

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$214 21.3%

Salvador

$192 19.7% 10.4% $22

Eating Out

Brasilia

$160 15.9%

Salvador

$151 15.4% 6% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$134 13.3%

Salvador

$121 12.4% 9.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$125 12.4%

Salvador

$120 12.3% 4.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 4.9%

Salvador

$41 4.2% 17.5% $8.7

Getting Around

Brasilia

$46 4.5%

Salvador

$72 7.4% 57.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Brasilia and $526 in Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 112% 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 $36.00 in Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $192 per month, with Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Salvador

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

2,417,678

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Salvador 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Salvador differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $977 including rent). Salvador is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 112% 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 $526 in Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Salvador – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,008 per month in Brasilia versus $977 in Salvador – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $977 in Salvador versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salvador but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.