Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $803 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
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Volta Redonda Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Volta Redonda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $803 in Volta Redonda.

Brasilia $1,000
Volta Redonda $803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,275 in Volta Redonda.

Brasilia $1,614
Volta Redonda $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,747 in Volta Redonda.

Brasilia $2,228
Volta Redonda $1,747

Living in Brasilia is roughly 25% more expensive than in Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Volta Redonda 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$3.00 R$15.20

193.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$39.95 R$203

-0.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$6.72 R$34.05

22.92%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$2.61 R$13.21

4.21%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$1.34 R$6.79

17.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.63 R$3.17

58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$2.35 R$11.91

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$4.46 R$22.63

-12.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$1.05 R$5.31

3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.81 R$9.17

14.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.22 R$6.18

11.48%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.44 R$12.35

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$6.88 R$34.88

69.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$3.11 R$15.79

30.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.72 R$49.29

-9.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.20 R$11.15

13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.22 R$6.17

21.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.02 R$5.16

31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.95 R$9.89

-16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.39 R$7.04

-11.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.31 R$6.62

-20.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.61 R$3.10

40.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.48 R$2.45

97.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$1.61 R$8.15

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$8.61 R$43.62

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.14 R$5.79

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$1.71 R$8.67

40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.94 R$4.79

7.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$35.29 R$179

0.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.57 R$7.97

-29.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$0.96 R$4.85

-3.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$10.27 R$52.0

-39.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.23 R$6.22

4.88%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$24.0K R$121.7K

-2.38%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.5K R$174.8K

-2.25%

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

$96.3 R$488

$93.4 R$473

3.16%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$11.26 R$57.1

11.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$22.29 R$113

1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$29.24 R$148

15.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$7.24 R$36.71

7.46%

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

$815 R$4,133

$151 R$767

439.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$3,005 R$15.2K

472.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$45.66 R$231

21.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$39.90 R$202

10.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$50.6 R$256

68.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$92.9 R$471

-5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$276 R$1,400

78.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$198 R$1,002

42.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$592 R$3,000

90.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$379 R$1,923

56.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$819 R$4,150

208.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$683 R$3,460

156.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$301 R$1,526

182.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.68

3.77%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Volta Redonda

$198 24.6% 29.8% $84

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Volta Redonda

$182 22.7% 14.2% $30

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Volta Redonda

$104 13% 34% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Volta Redonda

$127 15.8% 3.5% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.8% 16% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Volta Redonda

$44 5.5% 11.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Volta Redonda

$45 5.7% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 182% 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 $40.00 in Volta Redonda. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $182, with Volta Redonda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

261,563

💱 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 Volta Redonda 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Volta Redonda differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $803 including rent). Volta Redonda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 182% 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 $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Volta Redonda – a meal for two runs $40.00 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 $803 in Volta Redonda – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $803 in Volta Redonda versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volta Redonda but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.