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

😐 Solo nomad: Brasilia is 0.1% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 9.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Brasilia is 3.1% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 7.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.06 R$37.05
$4.39 R$23.06
60.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.33 R$212
$32.64 R$171
23.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.32 R$33.19
$6.80 R$35.72
-7.06%
Cappuccino
$1.89 R$9.91
$1.74 R$9.16
8.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$6.10
$1.16 R$6.09
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R$4.57
$0.68 R$3.56
27.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 R$9.30
$1.45 R$7.63
22.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 R$16.83
$3.03 R$15.89
5.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 R$5.33
$1.09 R$5.74
-6.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 R$8.42
$1.50 R$7.90
6.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R$7.70
$2.68 R$14.06
-45.15%
Eggs
$2.10 R$11.00
$2.32 R$12.19
-9.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.27 R$48.68
$9.25 R$48.57
0.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.38 R$17.75
$4.31 R$22.61
-21.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.76 R$35.47
$7.84 R$41.17
-13.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 R$10.28
$2.38 R$12.48
-17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 R$7.17
$1.49 R$7.80
-8.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.16 R$6.08
$1.49 R$7.80
-22.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 R$8.85
$1.99 R$10.43
-15.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.49
$1.58 R$8.28
-21.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.57
$1.24 R$6.49
0.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 R$3.97
$0.88 R$4.62
-13.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.31
$0.76 R$3.99
-17.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.18 R$11.45
$2.13 R$11.18
2.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.47 R$49.69
$8.15 R$42.76
16.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 R$5.59
$1.30 R$6.83
-17.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 R$12.26
$2.55 R$13.41
-8.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$5.05
$0.87 R$4.59
10.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.87 R$230
$21.81 R$115
101.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.01 R$5.31
$1.39 R$7.28
-27.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 R$3.91
$0.91 R$4.76
-18.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.81 R$30.49
$3.34 R$17.51
73.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 R$5.98
$1.00 R$5.28
14.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K R$132.6K
$29.5K R$155.0K
-14.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K R$148.6K
$29.9K R$156.9K
-5.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.5 R$381
$72.5 R$380
0.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.04 R$68.5
$14.82 R$77.8
-12.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.57 R$108
$18.51 R$97.2
11.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.58 R$134
$20.72 R$109
23.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.66 R$114
$38.88 R$204
-44.29%
Cinema Ticket
$7.18 R$37.70
$4.31 R$22.62
66.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$481 R$2,523
$313 R$1,645
53.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K R$79.5K
$2,730 R$14.3K
454.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R$301
$45.87 R$241
25.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.41 R$217
$37.24 R$195
11.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.8 R$356
$101 R$529
-32.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.5 R$339
$89.1 R$468
-27.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$408 R$2,144
$222 R$1,167
83.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$259 R$1,359
$221 R$1,162
16.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$950 R$4,988
$431 R$2,261
120.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$547 R$2,869
$478 R$2,512
14.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,583 R$13.6K
$709 R$3,722
264.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,727 R$9,066
$867 R$4,552
99.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brasilia
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$773 R$4,060
$649 R$3,409
19.10%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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