Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Springs

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Springs: $1,000 and $989 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Springs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $989 in Springs.

Brasilia $1,000
Springs $989

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,605 in Springs.

Brasilia $1,614
Springs $1,605

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $2,222 in Springs.

Brasilia $2,228
Springs $2,222

Living in Brasilia is roughly 1% more expensive than in Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$8.96 R 148

-1.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$37.11 R 611

7.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$5.13 R 84.5

61.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.32 R 38.18

17.24%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$0.89 R 14.58

76.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.69 R 11.42

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.85 R 30.52

25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$2.07 R 34.09

89.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.22 R 20.02

-10.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.07 R 17.65

93.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.79 R 29.57

-24.02%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.57 R 42.29

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$8.52 R 140

36.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.89 R 80.6

-16.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$7.37 R 121

19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.32 R 21.72

88.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.11 R 18.33

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.74 R 28.70

-22.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.21 R 19.90

34.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.12 R 18.49

9.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.24 R 20.38

-16.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.19 R 19.59

-27.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.79 R 13.05

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.19 R 52.6

-21.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$3.91 R 64.4

114.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.14 R 18.78

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.75 R 28.79

37.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$0.31 R 5.18

254.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.80 R 13.23

16.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$14.52 R 239

-57.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.47 R 24.16

-12.24%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$35.9K R 591.3K

-34.70%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$33.7K R 556.0K

-0.13%

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

$96.3 R$488

$151 R 2,489

-36.25%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$37.57 R 619

-66.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$35.55 R 586

-36.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$39.64 R 653

-15.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.45 R 123

4.43%

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

$815 R$4,133

$92.7 R 1,527

779.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$1,821 R 30.0K

845.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$53.2 R 877

4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$33.07 R 545

33.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$93.7 R 1,544

-9.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$85.6 R 1,410

2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$289 R 4,767

70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$276 R 4,539

2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$732 R 12.1K

53.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$706 R 11.6K

-16.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,499 R 24.7K

68.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$694 R 11.4K

152.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$1,171 R 19.3K

-27.38%

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 Springs: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Springs

$276 27.9% 2.1% $6

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Springs

$176 17.8% 17.1% $36

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Springs

$135 13.6% 14.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Springs

$224 22.7% 70.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Springs

$120 12.1% 2.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Springs

$55 5.5% 10.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4% 90.4% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $289 in Springs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Springs pays 38% 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 $37.00 in Springs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $176 per month, with Springs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇿🇦 Springs

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

5 h ahead of Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

2,996

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Springs 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Springs

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 Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Springs differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $989 including rent). Springs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Springs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Brasilia versus $289 in Springs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Brasilia versus $92.7 in Springs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Springs – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $989 in Springs versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Springs but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Springs 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 Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.