Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Santo Andre

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Santo Andre: $1,000 and $984 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Santo Andre
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Santo Andre Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Santo Andre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Santo Andre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $984 in Santo Andre.

Brasilia $1,000
Santo Andre $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,590 in Santo Andre.

Brasilia $1,614
Santo Andre $1,590

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,196 in Santo Andre.

Brasilia $2,228
Santo Andre $2,196

Living in Brasilia is roughly 2% more expensive than in Santo Andre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Santo Andre 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$9.19 R$46.61

-4.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$50.2 R$254

-20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$8.66 R$43.92

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.44 R$12.35

11.48%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.37 R$6.92

14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.95 R$4.82

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.32 R$11.74

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.91 R$19.84

0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.00 R$5.08

9.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.80 R$9.13

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.37 R$6.97

-0.73%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.50 R$12.68

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.61 R$53.8

9.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.70 R$23.82

-13.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$10.65 R$54.0

-17.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.28 R$11.55

9.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.64 R$8.33

-9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.53 R$7.74

-12.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.64 R$8.33

-0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.27 R$6.43

-3.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.23 R$6.21

-15.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.99 R$5.01

-13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.84 R$4.28

13.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.43 R$12.31

3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.20 R$41.59

2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.54 R$7.82

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.49 R$12.64

-3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.99 R$5.02

2.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$27.01 R$137

30.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.21 R$6.11

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.02 R$5.17

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.28 R$41.99

-25.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.33 R$6.76

-3.01%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$22.9K R$115.9K

2.49%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.2K R$168.2K

1.57%

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

$96.3 R$488

$65.5 R$332

46.96%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$14.49 R$73.5

-13.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.33 R$113

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$25.10 R$127

34.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$27.72 R$141

0.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$8.01 R$40.60

-2.87%

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

$815 R$4,133

$551 R$2,794

47.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$16.5K R$83.6K

4.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$63.7 R$323

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$57.0 R$289

-22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$88.4 R$448

-3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$79.1 R$401

10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$400 R$2,030

23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$301 R$1,524

-6.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$663 R$3,359

70.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$541 R$2,741

9.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,711 R$8,673

47.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,153 R$5,844

52.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$549 R$2,783

54.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.81

12.12%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santo Andre: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Santo Andre

$301 30.6% 6.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Santo Andre

$216 21.9% 1.8% $3.8

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Santo Andre

$157 16% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Santo Andre

$102 10.4% 22.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Santo Andre

$130 13.2% 5.7% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Santo Andre

$41 4.2% 16.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Santo Andre

$37 3.8% 17.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $400 in Santo Andre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 55% 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 $50.0 in Santo Andre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $216 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Santo Andre

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

748,919

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Santo Andre 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Santo Andre

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 Santo Andre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Santo Andre differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $984 including rent). Santo Andre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% 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 $400 in Santo Andre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Andre – a meal for two runs $50.0 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 $984 in Santo Andre – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santo Andre but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Andre 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 Santo Andre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.