Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $1,000 a month against $1,150 in Santos, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $1,150 in Santos.

Brasilia $1,000
Santos $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,736 in Santos.

Brasilia $1,614
Santos $1,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,322 in Santos.

Brasilia $2,228
Santos $2,322

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 13% less than in Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Santos 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$8.12 R$41.18

8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$31.84 R$161

25.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$7.14 R$36.19

15.69%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.75 R$13.96

-1.09%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.43 R$7.24

9.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.92 R$4.68

8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.52 R$12.76

-7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.92 R$14.79

34.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.09 R$5.50

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.85 R$9.39

11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.36 R$6.91

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.49 R$12.61

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$12.14 R$61.6

-4.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.86 R$24.63

-16.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.91 R$50.2

-11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.11 R$10.69

18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.23 R$6.23

20.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.99 R$10.07

-32.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.85 R$9.37

-11.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.35 R$6.86

-8.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.29 R$6.56

-19.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.16 R$5.87

-25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.35 R$11.89

7.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$7.98 R$40.46

5.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.33 R$6.76

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.94 R$9.83

24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.12 R$5.66

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$49.37 R$250

-28.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.56 R$7.89

-29.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.61 R$8.16

-42.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$17.80 R$90.2

-65.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.24 R$6.31

4.03%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.7K R$120.3K

-1.22%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.5K R$169.6K

0.73%

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

$96.3 R$488

$104 R$529

-7.64%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$11.95 R$60.6

5.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$21.90 R$111

3.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$28.96 R$147

16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$57.0 R$289

-51.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$8.59 R$43.55

-9.43%

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

$815 R$4,133

$280 R$1,418

191.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$10.2K R$52.0K

67.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$55.5 R$281

-0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$36.69 R$186

20.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$95.7 R$485

-11.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$60.7 R$307

44.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$543 R$2,754

-9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$424 R$2,148

-33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$992 R$5,031

13.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$686 R$3,478

-13.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$2,413 R$12.2K

4.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,776 R$9,004

-1.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$584 R$2,958

45.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

12.79

-5.24%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Santos

$424 36.9% 50.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Santos

$219 19.1% 3.5% $7.4

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Santos

$147 12.8% 6.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Santos

$138 12% 5.1% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Santos

$112 9.7% 8.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Santos

$46 4% 6.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Santos

$63 5.5% 40.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $543 in Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 46% 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 $32.00 in Santos. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $219, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Santos

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

418,608

💱 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 Santos 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Santos

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 Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Santos differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $1,150 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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 $543 in Santos. 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 $32.00 in Santos. 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 $1,150 in Santos – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,000 in Brasilia versus $1,150 in Santos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Santos. 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 15% less than in Santos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.