Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Cuenca and in Brasilia: $989 and $1,008 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$989

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Cuenca versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Cuenca $989
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,482 in Cuenca versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Cuenca $1,482
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,976 in Cuenca versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Cuenca $1,976
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Cuenca costs roughly 2% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuenca 27% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 $3.59

$9.23 R$46.81

-61.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 $29.50

$39.99 R$203

-26.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 $7.79

$8.44 R$42.79

-7.70%

Cappuccino

$2.65 $2.65

$2.62 R$13.29

1.15%

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

$0.83 $0.83

$1.52 R$7.70

-45.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.91 R$4.63

-21.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.43 R$12.30

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.99 R$20.23

-20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.10 R$5.57

-8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.07 R$10.47

4.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.36 R$6.90

37.50%

Eggs

$2.27 $2.27

$2.46 R$12.47

-7.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$12.06 R$61.1

-41.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.00 R$20.29

47.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 $7.47

$9.09 R$46.06

-17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.43 R$12.33

-16.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.53 R$7.76

-28.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.33 R$6.73

2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.73 R$8.76

-19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.17 R$5.95

31.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.04 R$5.28

3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 $0.75

$0.83 R$4.20

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.99 R$5.03

14.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.43 R$12.34

117.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$8.26 R$41.86

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.28 R$6.50

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.48 R$12.58

20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$1.03 R$5.23

-65.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.94 $15.94

$36.05 R$183

-55.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.05 R$5.32

29.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.91 R$4.63

17.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 $10.83

$6.31 R$31.99

71.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.28 R$6.51

-32.03%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$24.2K R$122.5K

1.45%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$33.3K R$169.0K

-11.08%

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

$39.83 $39.83

$98.4 R$499

-59.53%

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

$13.33 $13.33

$12.88 R$65.3

3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 $26.61

$22.35 R$113

19.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.02 $30.02

$34.14 R$173

-12.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 $5.18

$28.34 R$144

-81.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 $7.22

$7.78 R$39.45

-7.20%

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

$227 $227

$834 R$4,230

-72.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,764 $6,764

$17.3K R$87.9K

-60.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 $67.8

$56.8 R$288

19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 $46.84

$45.40 R$230

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$85.5 R$433

46.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 $71.5

$90.5 R$459

-20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 $529

$507 R$2,572

4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 $386

$279 R$1,412

38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 $709

$1,123 R$5,693

-36.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 $608

$568 R$2,881

7.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 $1,221

$2,518 R$12.8K

-51.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$857 $857

$1,744 R$8,840

-50.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 $561

$841 R$4,263

-33.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

12.12

-7.92%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$386 39.1%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 27.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$208 21%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 3.3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$140 14.2%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 10.6% $15

Eating Out

Cuenca

$107 10.8%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 50.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$80 8.1%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 67.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.5%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 11.8% $5.2

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.4%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 90% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Cuenca and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 50% 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: $30.00 in Cuenca vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $214 per month, with Cuenca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

2 h ahead of Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cuenca Brasilia 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuenca
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

Cuenca vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuenca and Brasilia differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($989 vs $1,008 including rent). Cuenca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Brasilia. 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: $529 in Cuenca versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuenca – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $989 per month in Cuenca versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $989 in Cuenca versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuenca but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Cuenca 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.

Safety-wise, Cuenca and Brasilia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cuenca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.