Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotia and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $868 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brasilia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $868 in Cotia versus $907 in Brasilia.

Cotia $868
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Cotia versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Cotia $1,421
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,974 in Cotia versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Cotia $1,974
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Cotia costs roughly 4% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotia 36% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 R$35.19

$8.23 R$45.19

-22.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.71 R$207

$37.50 R$206

0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 R$45.65

$8.00 R$43.92

4.00%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$13.39

$2.44 R$13.37

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

$1.32 R$7.25

$1.37 R$7.53

-3.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.94

$0.97 R$5.34

11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R$14.60

$2.27 R$12.43

17.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 R$22.04

$3.58 R$19.67

12.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R$6.12

$0.94 R$5.17

19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 R$9.62

$1.93 R$10.60

-9.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.32

$1.22 R$6.68

-5.74%

Eggs

$2.68 R$14.69

$2.25 R$12.33

19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 R$61.8

$10.96 R$60.2

2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 R$23.75

$3.68 R$20.21

17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 R$55.2

$8.16 R$44.79

23.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 R$13.91

$2.28 R$12.52

10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.12

$1.37 R$7.50

21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R$8.03

$1.24 R$6.81

17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R$9.65

$1.50 R$8.21

17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R$7.33

$1.09 R$5.97

22.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.02 R$5.63

18.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.61

$0.76 R$4.17

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.79

$0.94 R$5.16

-26.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 R$14.43

$2.34 R$12.84

12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 R$45.46

$7.68 R$42.15

7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R$8.80

$1.24 R$6.78

29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$12.70

$2.22 R$12.21

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.18

$0.77 R$4.24

22.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.38 R$233

$30.34 R$167

39.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.62

$1.20 R$6.58

0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.90

$0.84 R$4.63

5.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 R$48.50

$7.22 R$39.64

22.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.75

$1.20 R$6.57

2.50%

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

$21.8K R$119.8K

$21.4K R$117.4K

1.98%

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

$31.7K R$174.0K

$31.7K R$173.7K

0.14%

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

$41.28 R$227

$87.9 R$482

-53.02%

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

$13.58 R$74.5

$11.11 R$61.0

22.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.86 R$92.6

$20.19 R$111

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 R$134

$30.40 R$167

-19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 R$140

$25.58 R$140

-0.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R$40.32

$7.23 R$39.68

1.66%

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

$401 R$2,203

$765 R$4,201

-47.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,110 R$39.0K

$16.6K R$91.3K

-57.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$290

$53.1 R$291

-0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 R$299

$41.52 R$228

31.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 R$496

$78.7 R$432

14.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 R$433

$81.4 R$446

-3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 R$1,865

$508 R$2,786

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 R$1,261

$246 R$1,352

-6.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R$3,530

$1,132 R$6,212

-43.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 R$2,479

$584 R$3,208

-22.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,611 R$8,840

$2,281 R$12.5K

-29.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,144 R$6,281

$1,623 R$8,909

-29.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,717

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

12.12

-8.25%

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

Last update for Cotia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cotia

$230 26.5%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 7.2% $17

Groceries & Markets

Cotia

$214 24.7%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 8.5% $18

Eating Out

Cotia

$136 15.7%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 7.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cotia

$124 14.3%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 7.9% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotia

$72 8.3%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 66.1% $47

Getting Around

Cotia

$52 6%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 25% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cotia

$39 4.5%

Brasilia

$45 5% 14.9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Cotia and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Cotia vs $38 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $196, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cotia

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Cotia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

274,413

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cotia Brasilia 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cotia
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

Cotia vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $868 in Cotia and $907 in Brasilia, so Cotia is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,301 in Cotia and $1,360 in Brasilia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $340 in Cotia versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $401 in Cotia versus $765 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Brasilia runs roughly 28% less than in Cotia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Cotia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.