Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Santa Maria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $732 in Santa Maria.

Brasilia $916
Santa Maria $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,224 in Santa Maria.

Brasilia $1,514
Santa Maria $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,715 in Santa Maria.

Brasilia $2,112
Santa Maria $1,715

Living in Brasilia is roughly 25% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.41

$5.61 R$30.22

50.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$198

$33.42 R$180

9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.96

$6.46 R$34.77

23.53%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.59

$1.70 R$9.16

48.82%

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

$1.42 R$7.64

$1.03 R$5.54

37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.39

$0.62 R$3.31

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.83

$1.51 R$8.11

45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.21

$4.26 R$22.92

-11.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.49

$1.02 R$5.47

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.51

$1.48 R$7.94

31.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.68

$1.42 R$7.64

-12.68%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.24

$1.74 R$9.39

30.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.1

$8.55 R$46.00

30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.79

$3.71 R$19.95

4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.16

$7.82 R$42.06

9.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.41

$2.26 R$12.18

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.42

$1.38 R$7.43

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.77

$2.01 R$10.83

-37.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.18

$1.37 R$7.40

10.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.98

$1.13 R$6.08

-1.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.25

$1.28 R$6.90

-23.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.87 R$4.68

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.03

$0.82 R$4.41

13.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.72

$2.20 R$11.85

7.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.27

$7.58 R$40.79

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.67

$1.21 R$6.50

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.68

$2.75 R$14.83

-14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.92

$1.22 R$6.57

-40.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$160

$42.50 R$229

-29.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.46

$1.18 R$6.34

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.62

$0.79 R$4.24

8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.06

$7.72 R$41.53

-25.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.71

$1.17 R$6.30

6.84%

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

$22.0K R$118.1K

$22.9K R$123.4K

-4.26%

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

$31.9K R$171.4K

$30.0K R$161.7K

6.00%

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

$92.1 R$496

$51.1 R$275

80.20%

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

$11.85 R$63.8

$15.89 R$85.5

-25.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$113

$17.02 R$91.6

22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$164

$22.47 R$121

35.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$11.14 R$60.0

136.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.17

$5.46 R$29.39

36.63%

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

$764 R$4,114

$147 R$790

420.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.6K

$2,764 R$14.9K

468.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$283

$59.1 R$318

-10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$227

$41.62 R$224

1.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$427

$92.8 R$499

-14.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$450

$60.1 R$323

39.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,783

$282 R$1,517

83.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,300

$155 R$835

55.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,223

$608 R$3,270

90.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,119

$370 R$1,991

56.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.9K

$1,633 R$8,787

46.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,030

$677 R$3,646

147.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,221

$591 R$3,179

32.78%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 35.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 7.4% $15

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 28.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 26.5% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 38.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $282 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $33 in Santa Maria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $186 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

271,735

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Santa Maria 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $732 in Santa Maria, so Santa Maria is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $282 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Maria – a meal for two runs $33 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 $732 in Santa Maria – Santa Maria is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Santa Maria gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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