Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $758 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Teresina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $758 in Teresina.

Brasilia $1,000
Teresina $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,251 in Teresina.

Brasilia $1,614
Teresina $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,745 in Teresina.

Brasilia $2,228
Teresina $1,745

Living in Brasilia is roughly 32% more expensive than in Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Teresina 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$6.08 R$30.83

44.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$19.82 R$100

101.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.42 R$32.53

28.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.04 R$10.34

33.33%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.08 R$5.47

45.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.77 R$3.93

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.58 R$7.99

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.00 R$15.19

30.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.49 R$7.56

-26.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$2.28 R$11.54

-9.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.44 R$7.32

-5.56%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$4.45 R$22.54

-45.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$7.54 R$38.22

54.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.12 R$20.87

-1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$6.78 R$34.39

29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.88 R$9.53

32.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$0.91 R$4.60

62.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.89 R$4.52

50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.33 R$6.76

22.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.11 R$5.61

10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.90 R$4.56

15.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.50 R$2.56

72.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.51 R$7.68

-37.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.32 R$16.83

-24.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$9.24 R$46.84

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.46 R$7.39

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$2.83 R$14.36

-14.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.95 R$4.80

6.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$45.09 R$229

-21.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.54 R$7.81

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.78 R$3.95

19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$7.88 R$39.94

-21.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.21 R$6.15

6.61%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$23.8K R$120.6K

-1.48%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$32.4K R$164.1K

4.13%

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

$96.3 R$488

$77.0 R$390

25.11%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.31 R$52.3

22.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$17.75 R$90.0

27.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$21.77 R$110

54.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$13.07 R$66.3

113.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$8.07 R$40.89

-3.59%

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

$815 R$4,133

$561 R$2,845

45.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$7,196 R$36.5K

139.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$43.55 R$221

27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$30.01 R$152

47.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$75.9 R$385

12.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$50.3 R$255

74.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$161 R$816

207.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$150 R$762

87.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$418 R$2,121

169.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$435 R$2,204

36.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,367 R$6,932

84.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$761 R$3,856

130.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$392 R$1,987

116.89%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Teresina: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Teresina

$150 19.8% 46.6% $131

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Teresina

$207 27.3% 2.6% $5.4

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Teresina

$114 15% 27.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Teresina

$105 13.9% 20.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Teresina

$90 11.9% 26.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Teresina

$38 5% 23% $11

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Teresina

$54 7.2% 20.4% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $161 in Teresina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $20.00 in Teresina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $207 per month, with Teresina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Teresina

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

866,300

💱 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 Teresina 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Teresina

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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Teresina differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $758 including rent). Teresina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $161 in Teresina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Teresina – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,000 per month in Brasilia versus $758 in Teresina – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $758 in Teresina versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresina but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Teresina 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 Teresina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.