Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changsha 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 Changsha and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $783 in Changsha versus $916 in Brasilia.

Changsha $783
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,282 in Changsha versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Changsha $1,282
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,780 in Changsha versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Changsha $1,780
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Changsha costs roughly 15% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changsha 42% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.69

$8.44 R$45.11

-64.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.41 ¥149

$36.71 R$196

-38.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.60

$7.98 R$42.68

-38.60%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.23

$2.53 R$13.50

32.02%

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

$0.51 ¥3.38

$1.42 R$7.59

-64.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$1.00 R$5.36

-73.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ¥8.24

$2.20 R$11.76

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.61

$3.76 R$20.08

-49.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.09

$1.02 R$5.45

93.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ¥15.77

$1.95 R$10.45

21.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.24 R$6.63

-24.19%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.45

$2.27 R$12.16

-24.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.4

$11.17 R$59.7

16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ¥27.31

$3.86 R$20.66

6.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.65 ¥77.5

$8.58 R$45.86

35.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 ¥18.91

$2.31 R$12.33

22.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.27

$1.38 R$7.37

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.83

$1.26 R$6.72

53.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.46

$1.52 R$8.13

32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$1.11 R$5.94

-13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.04

$0.98 R$5.22

69.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.76 R$4.04

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.27

$0.93 R$4.99

-47.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.41

$2.36 R$12.64

23.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.72 ¥84.7

$7.67 R$41.00

65.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$1.24 R$6.63

-16.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$2.36 R$12.59

-34.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.73 R$3.90

-52.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.75 ¥98.2

$29.76 R$159

-50.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.83

$1.01 R$5.42

46.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.86 R$4.59

-63.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 ¥30.32

$5.77 R$30.86

-20.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.40

$1.25 R$6.67

0.80%

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

$19.9K ¥132.1K

$22.0K R$117.4K

-9.54%

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

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$31.9K R$170.3K

-44.05%

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

$56.1 ¥373

$92.1 R$493

-39.09%

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

$9.08 ¥60.4

$11.85 R$63.3

-23.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.61 ¥90.6

$20.93 R$112

-34.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 ¥365

$30.47 R$163

79.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ¥165

$26.29 R$141

-5.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.55

$7.46 R$39.91

-12.33%

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

$326 ¥2,172

$764 R$4,087

-57.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.3K

$15.7K R$84.1K

9.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 ¥562

$52.6 R$281

60.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.62 ¥230

$42.10 R$225

-17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ¥599

$79.4 R$425

13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.2 ¥407

$83.6 R$447

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,772

$517 R$2,765

-48.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ¥1,111

$242 R$1,291

-30.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,721

$1,156 R$6,183

-51.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ¥2,536

$580 R$3,099

-34.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,482 ¥16.5K

$2,398 R$12.8K

3.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 ¥9,413

$1,678 R$8,972

-15.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 ¥7,348

$784 R$4,194

40.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

12.12

-71.45%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$237 30.3%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 15.5% $37

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$167 21.3%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 44.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$122 15.5%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 4.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Changsha

$92 11.7%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 63.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.1%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 58.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Brasilia

$45 5% 33.1% $22

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 97.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Changsha and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22 in Changsha vs $37 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $201, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

17:34 5:34 PM

11 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changsha Brasilia 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
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

Changsha vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $783 in Changsha and $916 in Brasilia, so Changsha is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Changsha, 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: $266 in Changsha versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $783 per month in Changsha versus $916 in Brasilia – Changsha is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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