Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Varginha

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $684 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Varginha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Brasilia versus $684 in Varginha.

Brasilia $907
Varginha $684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Brasilia versus $1,086 in Varginha.

Brasilia $1,501
Varginha $1,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Brasilia versus $1,488 in Varginha.

Brasilia $2,094
Varginha $1,488

Living in Brasilia is roughly 33% more expensive than in Varginha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Varginha 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 R$45.18

$8.33 R$45.71

-1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 R$206

$22.53 R$124

66.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$43.91

$6.40 R$35.11

25.00%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.37

$0.90 R$4.95

171.11%

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

$1.37 R$7.53

$0.83 R$4.55

65.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$5.34

$0.53 R$2.92

83.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.43

$1.26 R$6.92

80.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.67

$3.42 R$18.78

4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.17

$0.81 R$4.45

16.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$10.60

$1.51 R$8.28

27.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.68

$0.96 R$5.28

27.08%

Eggs

$2.25 R$12.33

$1.30 R$7.14

73.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 R$60.1

$8.33 R$45.70

31.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R$20.21

$3.25 R$17.84

13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$44.78

$8.22 R$45.10

-0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.51

$1.33 R$7.30

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.50

$1.33 R$7.30

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.81

$0.90 R$4.92

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R$8.20

$0.90 R$4.94

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.97

$0.96 R$5.29

13.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.62

$0.90 R$4.94

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.17

$0.49 R$2.67

55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.16

$0.68 R$3.73

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.83

$2.09 R$11.47

11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 R$42.14

$4.79 R$26.26

60.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.78

$1.04 R$5.72

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 R$12.20

$1.66 R$9.10

33.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 R$4.24

$0.84 R$4.62

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$166

$41.49 R$228

-26.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.58

$0.88 R$4.85

36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.63

$0.71 R$3.90

18.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 R$39.63

$5.85 R$32.11

23.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.57

$1.07 R$5.85

12.15%

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

$21.4K R$117.4K

$22.1K R$121.0K

-3.00%

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

$31.7K R$173.7K

$27.3K R$149.6K

16.10%

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

$87.9 R$482

$94.6 R$519

-7.15%

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

$11.11 R$61.0

$4.54 R$24.93

144.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 R$111

$18.15 R$99.6

11.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 R$167

$23.87 R$131

27.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$140

$25.33 R$139

0.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 R$39.67

$7.35 R$40.31

-1.63%

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

$765 R$4,200

$203 R$1,113

277.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$91.3K

$3,996 R$21.9K

316.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$291

$33.29 R$183

59.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 R$228

$54.9 R$301

-24.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 R$432

$74.5 R$409

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 R$446

$55.6 R$305

46.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 R$2,785

$135 R$741

275.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R$1,352

$112 R$612

120.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 R$6,211

$254 R$1,394

345.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,207

$242 R$1,325

142.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 R$12.5K

$1,589 R$8,717

43.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,623 R$8,907

$1,146 R$6,288

41.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,716

$426 R$2,337

101.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

21.20%

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

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varginha: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$246 27.2%

Varginha

$112 16.3% 54.7% $135

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$196 21.6%

Varginha

$154 22.5% 21.6% $42

Eating Out

Brasilia

$147 16.2%

Varginha

$115 16.9% 21.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$119 13.1%

Varginha

$117 17.2% 1.5% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$115 12.6%

Varginha

$98 14.4% 14.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Varginha

$39 5.6% 14% $6.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$39 4.3%

Varginha

$49 7.2% 26.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brasilia and $135 in Varginha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Brasilia vs $23 in Varginha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $154 per month, with Varginha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Varginha

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

136,467

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Varginha 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Varginha

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 Varginha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $907 in Brasilia and $684 in Varginha, so Varginha is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brasilia is about 2 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: $508 in Brasilia versus $135 in Varginha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varginha – a meal for two runs $23 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $907 per month in Brasilia versus $684 in Varginha – Varginha is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Varginha gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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