Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $725 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $725 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Brasilia $907
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,205 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Brasilia $1,501
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,686 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Brasilia $2,094
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,686

Living in Brasilia is roughly 25% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$45.25

$5.18 R$28.44

58.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$206

$21.38 R$117

75.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.99

$8.35 R$45.91

-4.19%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.39

$1.84 R$10.09

32.61%

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

$1.37 R$7.55

$1.13 R$6.23

21.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.34

$0.86 R$4.74

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.45

$1.90 R$10.46

19.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.70

$1.89 R$10.40

89.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.17

$0.99 R$5.45

-5.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.62

$1.52 R$8.38

26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.69

$0.89 R$4.92

37.08%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.35

$2.18 R$11.97

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$60.2

$8.19 R$45.02

33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.24

$4.14 R$22.77

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.86

$9.41 R$51.7

-13.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.53

$1.85 R$10.16

23.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.51

$1.09 R$5.98

25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.82

$0.95 R$5.24

30.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.22

$1.53 R$8.39

-1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.98

$0.76 R$4.20

43.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.63

$0.71 R$3.89

43.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.18

$0.70 R$3.87

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.17

$0.73 R$4.03

28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.85

$2.63 R$14.47

-11.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$42.21

$5.52 R$30.32

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.79

$1.09 R$5.99

13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.22

$4.09 R$22.48

-45.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.25

$0.82 R$4.52

-6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$167

$41.30 R$227

-26.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.25 R$6.87

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.64

$1.26 R$6.95

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.69

$8.69 R$47.74

-16.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$0.95 R$5.21

26.32%

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

$21.4K R$117.6K

$18.3K R$100.4K

17.15%

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

$31.7K R$174.0K

$32.3K R$177.4K

-1.94%

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

$87.9 R$483

$40.72 R$224

115.77%

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

$11.11 R$61.1

$9.24 R$50.8

20.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$111

$17.23 R$94.7

17.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$167

$26.19 R$144

16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$141

$25.78 R$142

-0.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.73

$5.18 R$28.47

39.58%

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

$765 R$4,207

$407 R$2,237

88.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$91.4K

$7,136 R$39.2K

133.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$292

$52.8 R$290

0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$228

$55.4 R$305

-25.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$433

$49.20 R$270

59.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$447

$56.5 R$310

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,790

$335 R$1,841

51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,354

$185 R$1,014

33.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,221

$631 R$3,470

79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,212

$457 R$2,511

27.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,551 R$8,523

47.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,921

$1,139 R$6,260

42.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,723

$628 R$3,452

36.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.12

8.99%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$185 25.5% 25.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$178 24.6% 9.1% $18

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$110 15.2% 25.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$67 9.3% 43.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$96 13.3% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$37 5% 18.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$52 7.2% 34.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $335 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $21 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $178 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

92,547

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Brasilia Sao Joao da Boa Vista 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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 Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $725 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, so Sao Joao da Boa Vista is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $335 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista – a meal for two runs $21 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $907 per month in Brasilia versus $725 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista – Sao Joao da Boa Vista is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Sao Joao da Boa Vista gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sao Joao da Boa Vista wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.