Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $620 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$620

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caruaru and in Brasilia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Caruaru versus $916 in Brasilia.

Caruaru $620
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,011 in Caruaru versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Caruaru $1,011
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,402 in Caruaru versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Caruaru $1,402
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 32% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caruaru 54% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$29.53

$8.44 R$45.87

-35.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.44 R$149

$36.71 R$200

-25.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 R$39.82

$7.98 R$43.40

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$1.48 R$8.03

$2.53 R$13.73

-41.50%

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

$0.98 R$5.33

$1.42 R$7.72

-30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.30

$1.00 R$5.45

-39.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 R$8.80

$2.20 R$11.96

-26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 R$12.00

$3.76 R$20.42

-41.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R$6.09

$1.02 R$5.54

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R$5.64

$1.95 R$10.62

-46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.14

$1.24 R$6.74

5.65%

Eggs

$1.92 R$10.42

$2.27 R$12.36

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 R$23.29

$11.17 R$60.7

-61.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.64 R$25.20

$3.86 R$21.01

20.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.05 R$38.31

$8.58 R$46.64

-17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.17

$2.31 R$12.53

-42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.87

$1.38 R$7.50

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.29

$1.26 R$6.83

-37.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.92

$1.52 R$8.27

-28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.11 R$6.04

31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.44

$0.98 R$5.30

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.75

$0.76 R$4.11

-9.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.46

$0.93 R$5.08

-11.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R$15.52

$2.36 R$12.85

20.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 R$40.58

$7.67 R$41.69

-2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.76

$1.24 R$6.74

15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 R$12.39

$2.36 R$12.80

-3.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.73

$0.73 R$3.96

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.84 R$135

$29.76 R$162

-16.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.01 R$5.52

7.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 R$9.90

$0.86 R$4.66

111.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 R$15.54

$5.77 R$31.38

-50.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.56

$1.25 R$6.78

-3.20%

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

$22.2K R$120.7K

$22.0K R$119.3K

1.14%

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

$30.5K R$166.0K

$31.9K R$173.2K

-4.16%

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

$52.3 R$284

$92.1 R$501

-43.28%

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

$7.53 R$40.96

$11.85 R$64.4

-36.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.28 R$50.5

$20.93 R$114

-55.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.11 R$76.7

$30.47 R$166

-53.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.73 R$151

$26.29 R$143

5.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 R$36.61

$7.46 R$40.58

-9.79%

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

$101 R$549

$764 R$4,156

-86.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,392 R$34.8K

$15.7K R$85.5K

-59.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.20 R$202

$52.6 R$286

-29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.77 R$249

$42.10 R$229

8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 R$444

$79.4 R$432

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$330

$83.6 R$454

-27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 R$841

$517 R$2,811

-70.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 R$670

$242 R$1,313

-48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 R$1,815

$1,156 R$6,287

-71.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,310

$580 R$3,151

-58.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$13.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,123

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 R$1,350

$784 R$4,264

-68.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

-9.24%

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

Last update for Caruaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$158 25.5%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 26.7% $42

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$123 19.9%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 95.9% $118

Eating Out

Caruaru

$102 16.5%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 47% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$101 16.3%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 14.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$69 11.1%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 80.8% $56

Getting Around

Caruaru

$39 6.2%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 1.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$28 4.5%

Brasilia

$45 5% 64.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $155 in Caruaru and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Caruaru vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $158 vs $201 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Caruaru Brasilia 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
Brasilia

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

Caruaru vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $620 in Caruaru and $916 in Brasilia, so Caruaru is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Caruaru. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $155 in Caruaru versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caruaru – a meal for two runs $27 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $620 per month in Caruaru versus $916 in Brasilia – Caruaru is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Caruaru 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.

Expats usually find Caruaru 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.