Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,000 and $1,040 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $1,040 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Brasilia $1,000
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,793 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Brasilia $1,614
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,546 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Brasilia $2,228
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,546

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 4% less than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Sao Caetano do Sul 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$9.03 R$45.79

-2.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$39.06 R$198

2.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$8.99 R$45.57

-8.12%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.30 R$11.66

18.26%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.33 R$6.74

18.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.88 R$4.47

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.40 R$12.16

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.23 R$6.24

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.98 R$10.05

4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.44 R$7.28

-5.56%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.57 R$13.03

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.85 R$55.0

7.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$5.13 R$25.98

-20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$10.56 R$53.5

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.31 R$11.69

7.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.69 R$8.58

-12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.53 R$7.76

-12.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$2.06 R$10.45

-20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.45 R$7.33

-15.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.19 R$6.05

-12.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.97 R$4.90

-11.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.84 R$4.27

13.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.41 R$12.20

4.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.90 R$45.12

-5.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.84 R$9.34

-28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.56 R$12.97

-5.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.72 R$3.65

40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.26 R$6.39

-12.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.03 R$5.24

-9.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.68 R$44.00

-28.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.28 R$6.47

0.78%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.2K R$117.7K

0.95%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.2K R$168.3K

1.55%

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

$96.3 R$488

$102 R$518

-5.73%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$14.59 R$74.0

-13.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.31 R$113

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$49.28 R$250

-31.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$45.12 R$229

-38.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$10.06 R$51.0

-22.66%

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

$815 R$4,133

$430 R$2,181

89.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$10.8K R$54.7K

59.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$64.2 R$326

-13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$56.8 R$288

-22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$97.5 R$494

-12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$92.3 R$468

-4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$409 R$2,074

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$298 R$1,512

-5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$838 R$4,247

34.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$845 R$4,286

-29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,866 R$9,458

35.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,444 R$7,319

21.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$942 R$4,776

-9.75%

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$298 28.7% 5.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$229 22% 8% $17

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 15% 1.3% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$139 13.4% 5.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$140 13.5% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$69 6.7% 41% $20

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.3 * 0.9% 79.4% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $409 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Caetano do Sul pays 11% 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 $39.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $229, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

165,655

💱 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 Sao Caetano do Sul 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Sao Caetano do Sul differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $1,040 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Sao Caetano do Sul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Brasilia versus $409 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Brasilia versus $430 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $39.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,000 in Brasilia versus $1,040 in Sao Caetano do Sul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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 4% less than in Sao Caetano do Sul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.