Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $909 a month against $1,563 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in South Korea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brazil and in South Korea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $909 per month in Brazil vs $1,563 in South Korea, rent included.

Brazil $909
South Korea $1,563

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Brazil vs $2,494 in South Korea, rent included.

Brazil $1,446
South Korea $2,494

A family of three spends $1,983 per month in Brazil vs $3,425 in South Korea, rent included.

Brazil $1,983
South Korea $3,425

Cost ranges are similar: Brazil spans $608–$1,432, South Korea $1,037–$1,804. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 42% lower than in South Korea on average.

Brazil sits 33% below the global median, while South Korea is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 R$36.23

$7.43 ₩9,881

-3.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.99 R$172

$45.18 ₩60.1K

-24.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 R$40.72

$6.40 ₩8,512

25.47%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R$10.69

$3.84 ₩5,101

-45.05%

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

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.67 ₩2,224

-23.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.71

$0.82 ₩1,094

-10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.30

$3.68 ₩4,895

-44.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$15.30

$4.40 ₩5,853

-31.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$2.15 ₩2,856

-49.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 R$8.60

$3.01 ₩3,997

-43.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$3.40 ₩4,524

-63.24%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.42

$3.24 ₩4,303

-30.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 R$49.06

$13.61 ₩18.1K

-28.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 R$21.60

$8.84 ₩11.8K

-51.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$41.69

$25.95 ₩34.5K

-68.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 R$11.76

$8.75 ₩11.6K

-73.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.89

$3.43 ₩4,560

-60.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$6.16 ₩8,184

-79.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.86

$5.84 ₩7,760

-73.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.98

$4.04 ₩5,378

-70.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.73

$2.75 ₩3,650

-58.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.13

$2.67 ₩3,551

-69.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$1.20 ₩1,597

-35.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 R$12.40

$3.44 ₩4,576

-28.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.69

$16.19 ₩21.5K

-51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R$6.79

$2.03 ₩2,703

-33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 R$11.88

$2.91 ₩3,867

-19.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.99

$1.11 ₩1,471

-11.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.03 R$243

$46.08 ₩61.3K

4.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$3.64 ₩4,844

-65.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 R$5.21

$0.67 ₩891

53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 R$40.00

$9.20 ₩12.2K

-14.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.33 ₩1,768

-6.02%

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

$23.1K R$117.3K

$29.4K ₩39.0M

-21.20%

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

$32.7K R$165.8K

$30.7K ₩40.9M

6.34%

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

$82.9 R$420

$209 ₩277.9K

-60.34%

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

$12.87 R$65.3

$39.86 ₩53.0K

-67.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.04 R$107

$23.56 ₩31.3K

-10.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.13 R$127

$54.4 ₩72.3K

-53.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.63 R$135

$16.63 ₩22.1K

60.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 R$38.51

$11.07 ₩14.7K

-31.35%

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

$340 R$1,724

$928 ₩1.2M

-63.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,119 R$46.2K

$23.1K ₩30.7M

-60.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R$272

$57.6 ₩76.5K

-6.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.57 R$246

$43.52 ₩57.9K

11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 R$458

$78.5 ₩104.3K

15.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 R$363

$100 ₩133.5K

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,980

$595 ₩791.0K

-34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 R$1,260

$418 ₩556.0K

-40.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 R$3,677

$1,528 ₩2.0M

-52.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 R$2,462

$943 ₩1.3M

-48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,896 R$9,612

$16.6K ₩22.1M

-88.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 R$6,602

$8,546 ₩11.4M

-84.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 R$2,727

$2,300 ₩3.1M

-76.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.19

4.23

164.54%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 18, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$249 27.4%

South Korea

$418 26.8% 68.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$195 21.4%

South Korea

$450 28.8% 131% $255

Eating Out

Brazil

$131 14.4%

South Korea

$162 10.4% 23.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$119 13.1%

South Korea

$126 8.1% 6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$117 12.9%

South Korea

$272 17.4% 133% $156

Getting Around

Brazil

$58 6.4%

South Korea

$57 3.7% 1.5% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$40 4.4%

South Korea

$77 4.9% 89.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $349 in Brazil vs $463 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $494 in Brasilia and $878 in Seoul.

Average salary: $499 in Brazil vs $2,138 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 33% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 32% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 242% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 328% higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

12 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazil South Korea 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
South Korea

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

Brazil vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 72% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Korea: a central one-bedroom averages $463 versus $349 in Brazil.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brazil, but in South Korea it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.