Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Sao Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Vicente: $824 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Vicente
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Sao Vicente Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Sao Vicente

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $824 in Sao Vicente.

Brasilia $916
Sao Vicente $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,374 in Sao Vicente.

Brasilia $1,514
Sao Vicente $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,925 in Sao Vicente.

Brasilia $2,112
Sao Vicente $1,925

Living in Brasilia is roughly 11% more expensive than in Sao Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Sao Vicente 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.11

$7.66 R$40.94

10.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$33.75 R$180

8.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.68

$6.67 R$35.68

19.64%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.50

$2.22 R$11.88

13.96%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.25 R$6.69

13.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.89 R$4.75

12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.76

$2.29 R$12.23

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.08

$2.85 R$15.26

31.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.04 R$5.57

-1.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.83 R$9.80

6.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.16

$2.34 R$12.53

-2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.7

$11.26 R$60.2

-0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.66

$4.47 R$23.89

-13.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.86

$9.04 R$48.32

-5.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.33

$1.97 R$10.55

17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.37

$1.26 R$6.75

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.72

$1.40 R$7.47

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.39 R$7.43

9.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.17 R$6.27

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.27 R$6.80

-22.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.86 R$4.58

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.99

$0.90 R$4.82

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.64

$2.18 R$11.66

8.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.00

$7.46 R$39.89

2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.42 R$7.57

-12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.59

$2.35 R$12.57

0.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$1.01 R$5.38

-27.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$41.70 R$223

-28.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.09 R$5.81

-7.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.71 R$3.81

21.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.86

$12.78 R$68.3

-54.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.67

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$21.5K R$115.1K

1.97%

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

$31.9K R$170.3K

$30.9K R$165.3K

3.03%

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

$92.1 R$493

$60.8 R$325

51.61%

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

$11.85 R$63.3

$13.67 R$73.1

-13.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$21.14 R$113

-0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$18.47 R$98.8

64.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$23.16 R$124

13.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.91

$7.61 R$40.67

-1.97%

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

$764 R$4,087

$260 R$1,392

193.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$9,638 R$51.5K

63.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$281

$51.2 R$274

2.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$34.61 R$185

21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$82.6 R$442

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$57.2 R$306

46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,765

$261 R$1,394

98.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,291

$206 R$1,101

17.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,183

$792 R$4,235

45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,099

$493 R$2,636

17.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$1,600 R$8,557

49.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,972

$1,129 R$6,037

48.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,194

$371 R$1,982

111.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.21

8.12%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sao Vicente: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Sao Vicente

$206 25% 14.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Sao Vicente

$203 24.7% 1.4% $2.7

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Sao Vicente

$134 16.2% 10.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Sao Vicente

$96 11.6% 23.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Sao Vicente

$102 12.3% 12.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Sao Vicente

$34 4.1% 25.8% $12

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Sao Vicente

$50 6.1% 32.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $261 in Sao Vicente. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $34 in Sao Vicente. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $203, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Sao Vicente

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

329,911

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Sao Vicente 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Sao Vicente

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 Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $824 in Sao Vicente, so Sao Vicente is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $261 in Sao Vicente. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $260 in Sao Vicente. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Vicente – a meal for two runs $34 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sao Vicente gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Sao Vicente is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brasilia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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