Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Carlos

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Sao Carlos: $1,000 and $982 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Sao Carlos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $982 in Sao Carlos.

Brasilia $1,000
Sao Carlos $982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,709 in Sao Carlos.

Brasilia $1,614
Sao Carlos $1,709

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,436 in Sao Carlos.

Brasilia $2,228
Sao Carlos $2,436

Living in Brasilia is roughly 2% more expensive than in Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Sao Carlos 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$4.98 R$25.25

76.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$40.05 R$203

-0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.77 R$34.33

22.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.12 R$10.74

28.30%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.34 R$6.78

17.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.79 R$3.98

26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.63 R$8.24

42.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.83 R$14.36

38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.34 R$6.80

-18.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.96 R$9.96

5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.78 R$9.03

-23.60%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.95 R$14.94

-17.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$12.48 R$63.3

-6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$5.25 R$26.61

-22.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.22 R$46.72

-4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.71 R$13.72

-8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.84 R$9.33

-19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.78 R$9.01

-24.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.96 R$9.95

-16.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.74 R$8.84

-29.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.36 R$6.88

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.01 R$5.14

-14.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.16 R$5.88

-18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.19 R$16.18

-21.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.46 R$42.91

-0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.48 R$7.50

-11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.91 R$14.73

-17.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.98 R$4.97

3.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$23.86 R$121

47.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.48 R$7.48

-25.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.01 R$5.11

-7.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$3.64 R$18.45

69.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.25 R$6.32

3.20%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$20.2K R$102.2K

16.29%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$31.5K R$159.5K

7.13%

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

$96.3 R$488

$62.4 R$316

54.43%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$13.74 R$69.6

-8.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$24.07 R$122

-6.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$34.77 R$176

-3.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$48.31 R$245

-42.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$5.38 R$27.29

44.61%

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

$815 R$4,133

$302 R$1,531

170.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$3,032 R$15.4K

467.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$84.7 R$429

-34.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$96.7 R$490

-54.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$139 R$705

-38.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$163 R$826

-46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$272 R$1,377

81.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$236 R$1,197

19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$673 R$3,410

67.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$663 R$3,358

-10.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$849 R$4,303

197.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$730 R$3,698

140.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$681 R$3,453

24.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.75

12.74%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Sao Carlos

$236 24% 16.1% $45

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5% 13.6% $29

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Sao Carlos

$108 11% 31.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2% 23.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 77.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6% 7.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 24% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 25% 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 $40.00 in Sao Carlos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $241 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

254,857

💱 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 Sao Carlos 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Sao Carlos

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 Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Sao Carlos differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $982 including rent). Sao Carlos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $272 in Sao Carlos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Carlos – a meal for two runs $40.00 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 $982 in Sao Carlos – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Carlos but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Carlos 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 Sao Carlos 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.