Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,008 and $1,039 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,039

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Brasilia versus $1,039 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Brasilia $1,008
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,039

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Brasilia versus $1,660 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Brasilia $1,618
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,282 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Brasilia $2,228
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,282

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 3% less than in Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 25% lower, Sao Jose dos Campos 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.23 R$46.81

$6.82 R$34.57

35.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.99 R$203

$40.30 R$204

-0.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.79

$9.00 R$45.61

-6.22%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R$13.29

$2.28 R$11.54

14.91%

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

$1.52 R$7.70

$1.61 R$8.18

-5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.19 R$6.04

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.30

$2.87 R$14.56

-15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 R$20.23

$4.39 R$22.24

-9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.57

$1.26 R$6.38

-12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.47

$2.06 R$10.43

0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.14 R$5.80

19.30%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.71 R$13.72

-9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 R$61.1

$8.85 R$44.89

36.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 R$20.29

$4.41 R$22.34

-9.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 R$46.06

$10.74 R$54.5

-15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.80 R$14.18

-13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.82 R$9.20

-15.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.78 R$9.01

-25.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.76

$1.91 R$9.70

-9.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.43 R$7.25

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.28

$1.38 R$6.98

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.96 R$4.85

-13.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.03

$0.79 R$4.02

25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.34

$2.87 R$14.53

-15.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 R$41.86

$8.75 R$44.36

-5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.67 R$8.45

-23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R$12.58

$4.67 R$23.67

-46.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.23

$1.22 R$6.18

-15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.05 R$183

$38.01 R$193

-5.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.30 R$6.57

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R$4.63

$1.42 R$7.18

-35.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 R$31.99

$9.37 R$47.51

-32.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.51

$1.25 R$6.34

2.40%

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

$24.2K R$122.5K

$23.6K R$119.7K

2.27%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$34.2K R$173.2K

-2.46%

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

$98.4 R$499

$44.36 R$225

121.89%

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

$12.88 R$65.3

$14.33 R$72.7

-10.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 R$113

$18.69 R$94.8

19.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 R$173

$30.25 R$153

12.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.34 R$144

$36.13 R$183

-21.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$8.06 R$40.86

-3.47%

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

$834 R$4,230

$441 R$2,237

89.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K R$87.9K

$7,777 R$39.4K

122.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R$288

$55.8 R$283

1.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 R$230

$58.5 R$296

-22.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 R$433

$96.1 R$487

-11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 R$459

$84.0 R$426

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 R$2,572

$490 R$2,485

3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R$1,412

$361 R$1,832

-22.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 R$5,693

$975 R$4,943

15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 R$2,881

$658 R$3,336

-13.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,518 R$12.8K

$2,102 R$10.7K

19.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 R$8,840

$1,460 R$7,400

19.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 R$4,263

$812 R$4,115

3.58%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$279 27.7%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$361 34.8% 29.7% $83

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$214 21.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$226 21.8% 5.7% $12

Eating Out

Brasilia

$160 15.9%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$143 13.8% 10.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$134 13.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$77 7.5% 42.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$125 12.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$132 12.8% 5.8% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 4.9%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$46 4.5% 6.7% $3.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$46 4.5%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$51 4.9% 11.9% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Brasilia and $490 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $40.00 in Sao Jose dos Campos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $226 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

697,054

💱 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 Jose dos Campos 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 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 Jose dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Sao Jose dos Campos differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,039 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $507 in Brasilia versus $490 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,008 per month in Brasilia versus $1,039 in Sao Jose dos Campos – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,008 in Brasilia versus $1,039 in Sao Jose dos Campos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 3% less than in Sao Jose dos Campos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.