Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Carlos

😐 Solo nomad: Brasilia is 1.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 9.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Brasilia is 15.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.16 R$39.75
$4.6 R$25.55
55.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.94 R$216
$32.65 R$181
19.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.16 R$34.21
$6.78 R$37.65
-9.14%
Cappuccino
$1.87 R$10.4
$1.74 R$9.68
7.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 R$6.79
$1.16 R$6.42
5.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 R$4.59
$0.63 R$3.5
31.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.84 R$10.22
$1.47 R$8.16
25.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 R$18.2
$3.02 R$16.78
8.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 R$5.15
$1.09 R$6.04
-14.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 R$9.3
$1.52 R$8.42
9.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.84
$2.57 R$14.24
-45.14%
Eggs
$2.01 R$11.13
$2.23 R$12.37
-9.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.03 R$50.2
$9.55 R$53
-5.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.43 R$19.04
$4.17 R$23.13
-17.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.8 R$37.72
$7.74 R$42.96
-12.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.03 R$11.27
$2.33 R$12.94
-12.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 R$7.58
$1.51 R$8.38
-9.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.17 R$6.48
$1.53 R$8.47
-23.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.6 R$8.89
$1.99 R$11.04
-19.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.15
$1.53 R$8.47
-15.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.86
$1.24 R$6.87
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.8 R$4.45
$0.9 R$4.98
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 R$3.47
$0.78 R$4.32
-20.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 R$12.34
$2.1 R$11.63
5.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 R$53.3
$7.24 R$40.17
32.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 R$5.98
$1.27 R$7.07
-14.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 R$12.67
$2.52 R$14.01
-9.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$5.33
$0.93 R$5.17
3.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.84 R$243
$21.89 R$121
100.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.01 R$5.61
$1.31 R$7.29
-22.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 R$4.08
$0.96 R$5.34
-22.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.59 R$31.03
$3.31 R$18.39
68.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 R$6.33
$1.04 R$5.76
9.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.6K R$142K
$29.1K R$161.3K
-11.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K R$162.1K
$29.2K R$162.2K
-0.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.7 R$392
$71.1 R$395
-0.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.98 R$72.1
$14.76 R$81.9
-12.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.23 R$112
$18.57 R$103
8.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.28 R$140
$20.55 R$114
23.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 R$118
$39.92 R$222
-46.67%
Cinema Ticket
$7.09 R$39.35
$4.22 R$23.42
68.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 R$2,645
$308 R$1,707
54.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K R$84.3K
$2,678 R$14.9K
467.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.5 R$330
$46.58 R$259
27.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.56 R$231
$36.53 R$203
13.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.1 R$389
$101 R$560
-30.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.5 R$358
$90.6 R$503
-28.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$414 R$2,300
$219 R$1,218
88.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$260 R$1,442
$216 R$1,202
20.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$964 R$5,351
$439 R$2,437
119.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$565 R$3,134
$486 R$2,696
16.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,598 R$14.4K
$693 R$3,845
275.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,638 R$9,090
$850 R$4,718
92.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$524 R$2,910
$828 R$4,594
-36.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.87
10.67
11.25%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

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