Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $825 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Serra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $825 in Serra.

Brasilia $916
Serra $825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,225 in Serra.

Brasilia $1,514
Serra $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,624 in Serra.

Brasilia $2,112
Serra $1,624

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.89

$4.60 R$25.04

83.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$200

$21.69 R$118

69.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$43.42

$7.59 R$41.30

5.14%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.74

$1.84 R$10.04

37.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.72

$1.24 R$6.77

14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.54 R$2.93

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.96

$1.80 R$9.78

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.43

$2.83 R$15.39

32.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.54

$1.10 R$5.98

-7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.63

$1.74 R$9.45

12.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.75

$1.08 R$5.88

14.81%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.37

$2.05 R$11.14

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.8

$9.67 R$52.6

15.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$21.02

$4.27 R$23.22

-9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.66

$8.14 R$44.29

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.54

$2.65 R$14.43

-12.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.50

$1.43 R$7.76

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.84

$1.67 R$9.11

-24.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.27

$1.52 R$8.26

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.05

$1.10 R$5.96

0.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.31

$1.00 R$5.43

-2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.11

$1.18 R$6.41

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.08

$1.22 R$6.66

-23.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.86

$2.34 R$12.75

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.71

$5.31 R$28.89

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.75

$0.95 R$5.19

30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.81

$3.10 R$16.85

-23.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.96

$0.84 R$4.58

-13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$162

$44.26 R$241

-32.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.52

$1.22 R$6.64

-17.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.67

$1.05 R$5.70

-18.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.40

$7.37 R$40.09

-21.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.79

$1.05 R$5.72

19.05%

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

$22.0K R$119.4K

$22.0K R$119.9K

-0.40%

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

$31.9K R$173.3K

$31.5K R$171.6K

0.97%

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

$92.1 R$501

$147 R$800

-37.32%

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

$11.85 R$64.4

$11.59 R$63.1

2.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$114

$19.76 R$107

5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$166

$24.12 R$131

26.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$143

$25.58 R$139

2.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.61

$6.61 R$35.95

12.86%

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

$764 R$4,158

$172 R$937

343.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$85.5K

$7,088 R$38.6K

121.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$286

$52.3 R$285

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$229

$47.29 R$257

-10.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$432

$84.5 R$460

-6.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$455

$67.6 R$368

23.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,813

$236 R$1,286

118.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,314

$141 R$765

71.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,290

$402 R$2,189

187.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,153

$204 R$1,112

183.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$13.0K

$914 R$4,970

162.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,128

$530 R$2,884

216.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,267

$514 R$2,798

52.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.18%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Serra

$141 17% 41.8% $101

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Serra

$198 24% 1.2% $2.5

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Serra

$104 12.5% 31% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Serra

$178 21.6% 42.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Serra

$113 13.7% 2.3% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Serra

$37 4.5% 17.8% $8.1

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Serra

$54 6.6% 42.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $236 in Serra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $22 in Serra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $198 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

520,653

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Brasilia Serra 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $825 in Serra, so Serra is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $236 in Serra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Brasilia versus $172 in Serra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Serra – a meal for two runs $22 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 – Serra wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.