Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Teresopolis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $661 in Teresopolis.

Brasilia $1,000
Teresopolis $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,120 in Teresopolis.

Brasilia $1,614
Teresopolis $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,580 in Teresopolis.

Brasilia $2,228
Teresopolis $1,580

Living in Brasilia is roughly 51% more expensive than in Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Teresopolis 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$3.55 R$17.99

147.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$28.21 R$143

41.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.95 R$35.23

18.85%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$1.76 R$8.95

54.55%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.41 R$7.14

11.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.62 R$3.13

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$1.22 R$6.20

90.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$5.02 R$25.45

-21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.99 R$5.04

10.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.51 R$7.64

37.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.37 R$6.93

-0.73%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.01 R$10.19

20.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$9.11 R$46.19

27.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$3.45 R$17.49

17.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$8.16 R$41.36

7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$1.87 R$9.47

33.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.20 R$6.09

23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.97 R$4.90

38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.26 R$6.38

29.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.70 R$3.55

75.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.82 R$4.14

26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.56 R$2.85

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.80 R$4.06

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$1.60 R$8.12

57.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$6.03 R$30.55

39.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.40 R$7.10

-6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.42 R$7.21

69.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.92 R$4.65

9.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$35.82 R$182

-1.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.03 R$5.23

6.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.04 R$5.27

-10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$2.43 R$12.30

153.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.28 R$6.49

0.78%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$20.9K R$105.9K

12.21%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$30.9K R$156.5K

9.18%

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

$96.3 R$488

$29.33 R$149

228.40%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$23.98 R$122

-47.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$18.63 R$94.5

21.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$29.64 R$150

13.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$20.16 R$102

38.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$6.76 R$34.26

15.09%

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

$815 R$4,133

$145 R$737

460.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$2,629 R$13.3K

554.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$25.55 R$130

116.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$27.07 R$137

63.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$67.4 R$342

26.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$47.75 R$242

83.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$360 R$1,824

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$158 R$800

78.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$533 R$2,701

111.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$398 R$2,017

48.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$1,181 R$5,988

113.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$489 R$2,478

73.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

10.67

13.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Teresopolis

$158 23.9% 44% $124

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Teresopolis

$172 26% 19% $40

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Teresopolis

$95 14.3% 39.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Teresopolis

$72 10.9% 45.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Teresopolis

$76 11.4% 38.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Teresopolis

$43 6.5% 12.3% $6.1

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Teresopolis

$46 6.9% 1.4% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $360 in Teresopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 74% 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 $28.00 in Teresopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $172 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

165,123

💱 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

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Brasilia Teresopolis 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Teresopolis differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $661 including rent). Teresopolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $360 in Teresopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Teresopolis – a meal for two runs $28.00 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 $661 in Teresopolis – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis 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 Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.