Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuiaba and Porto Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $965 a month against $1,018 in Cuiaba, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Porto Alegre
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Porto Alegre Living Index

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Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,018

/mo nomad

Porto Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuiaba and in Porto Alegre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Cuiaba versus $965 in Porto Alegre.

Cuiaba $1,018
Porto Alegre $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,540 in Cuiaba versus $1,487 in Porto Alegre.

Cuiaba $1,540
Porto Alegre $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,062 in Cuiaba versus $2,009 in Porto Alegre.

Cuiaba $2,062
Porto Alegre $2,009

Living in Cuiaba is roughly 5% more expensive than in Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuiaba 25% lower, Porto Alegre 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.16 R$27.77

$7.55 R$40.65

-31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.37 R$147

$37.17 R$200

-26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$40.48

$6.43 R$34.63

16.95%

Cappuccino

$1.71 R$9.21

$2.42 R$13.02

-29.34%

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

$1.36 R$7.32

$1.26 R$6.76

7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.85

$1.03 R$5.54

-30.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 R$10.25

$2.28 R$12.29

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$13.65

$2.73 R$14.67

-6.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.12

$0.96 R$5.19

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$8.03

$1.57 R$8.42

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.08

$1.04 R$5.61

62.50%

Eggs

$2.95 R$15.87

$2.35 R$12.67

25.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 R$87.0

$9.78 R$52.6

65.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 R$22.83

$4.57 R$24.61

-7.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 R$55.1

$9.43 R$50.8

8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 R$11.88

$2.29 R$12.34

-3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 R$12.55

$1.35 R$7.27

72.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.89

$1.32 R$7.12

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 R$15.38

$1.54 R$8.26

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.79

$1.13 R$6.11

110.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.61

$1.05 R$5.67

87.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$8.25

$0.86 R$4.65

77.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.48

$0.77 R$4.13

80.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.67

$2.36 R$12.72

-8.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 R$58.7

$7.26 R$39.05

50.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 R$9.83

$1.04 R$5.60

75.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.52

$2.03 R$10.95

41.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.12

$0.95 R$5.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.73 R$192

$56.3 R$303

-36.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.40

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.36

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.47

$1.25 R$6.72

-4.00%

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

$28.1K R$151.0K

$22.1K R$119.0K

26.83%

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

$31.3K R$168.3K

$31.7K R$170.4K

-1.22%

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

$165 R$886

$72.6 R$390

126.81%

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

$17.94 R$96.5

$11.86 R$63.8

51.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 R$130

$20.42 R$110

18.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.40 R$131

$27.19 R$146

-10.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 R$102

$29.04 R$156

-34.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$30.43

$6.89 R$37.05

-17.85%

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

$408 R$2,194

$516 R$2,776

-20.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,796 R$47.3K

$23.5K R$126.4K

-62.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 R$389

$47.70 R$257

51.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 R$248

$54.6 R$294

-15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 R$759

$94.6 R$509

49.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$345

$73.5 R$395

-12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 R$1,668

$425 R$2,286

-27.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,176

$304 R$1,637

-28.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R$3,951

$707 R$3,806

3.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$2,102

$474 R$2,549

-17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 R$6,811

$1,456 R$7,836

-13.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 R$3,991

$1,127 R$6,064

-34.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 R$1,965

$521 R$2,803

-29.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.1

11.5

40.00%

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

Last update for Cuiaba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cuiaba

$265 26%

Porto Alegre

$194 20.1% 26.8% $71

Accommodation & Living

Cuiaba

$218 21.5%

Porto Alegre

$304 31.5% 39.2% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuiaba

$207 20.3%

Porto Alegre

$105 10.9% 49.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cuiaba

$146 14.3%

Porto Alegre

$122 12.6% 16.4% $24

Eating Out

Cuiaba

$107 10.5%

Porto Alegre

$135 14% 25.6% $27

Getting Around

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9%

Porto Alegre

$65 6.8% 65% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cuiaba

$36 3.5%

Porto Alegre

$41 4.2% 14.7% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $310 in Cuiaba and $425 in Porto Alegre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto Alegre pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Cuiaba vs $37 in Porto Alegre. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $194, with Porto Alegre cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Porto Alegre

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

1 h ahead of Cuiaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,877

1,332,833

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cuiaba Porto Alegre 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuiaba
Porto Alegre

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

Cuiaba vs Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Alegre wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Cuiaba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Porto Alegre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Cuiaba. 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: $310 in Cuiaba versus $425 in Porto Alegre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,018 per month in Cuiaba versus $965 in Porto Alegre – Porto Alegre is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Alegre 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.