Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $802 a month against $1,000 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
Learn more

Curitiba Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
Learn more

Barbacena Living Index

Jump to prices

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Barbacena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Curitiba versus $802 in Barbacena.

Curitiba $1,000
Barbacena $802

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,532 in Curitiba versus $1,218 in Barbacena.

Curitiba $1,532
Barbacena $1,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,065 in Curitiba versus $1,634 in Barbacena.

Curitiba $2,065
Barbacena $1,634

Living in Curitiba is roughly 25% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 26% lower, Barbacena 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.19 R$39.24

$4.99 R$27.23

44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.52 R$199

$19.83 R$108

84.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 R$45.84

$5.48 R$29.93

53.10%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R$13.40

$1.62 R$8.86

51.23%

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

$1.02 R$5.58

$1.42 R$7.77

-28.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.78

$0.88 R$4.78

-1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 R$13.70

$1.22 R$6.67

105.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R$19.57

$2.09 R$11.42

71.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.07

$1.05 R$5.76

-11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 R$9.60

$1.92 R$10.50

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.96

$1.14 R$6.24

11.40%

Eggs

$2.31 R$12.64

$2.15 R$11.75

7.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 R$50.1

$10.29 R$56.2

-10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R$25.08

$4.02 R$21.97

14.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 R$51.5

$9.31 R$50.8

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R$9.19

$2.63 R$14.39

-36.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.61

$1.71 R$9.36

-39.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 R$4.86

$1.49 R$8.11

-40.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$7.01

$1.73 R$9.47

-26.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 R$4.20

$1.14 R$6.20

-32.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 R$3.70

$0.96 R$5.22

-29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$4.04

$0.69 R$3.79

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.20

$0.65 R$3.57

18.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.73 R$14.88

$2.70 R$14.77

1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 R$34.68

$7.40 R$40.40

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.14 R$6.24

3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.85

$2.32 R$12.70

1.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R$5.95

$0.95 R$5.17

14.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 R$355

$41.13 R$225

57.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.73

$1.16 R$6.36

6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R$4.19

$0.84 R$4.60

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 R$30.57

$8.75 R$47.77

-36.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.58

$1.24 R$6.79

-2.42%

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

$22.0K R$120.2K

$21.7K R$118.6K

1.39%

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

$31.7K R$173.2K

$31.8K R$173.8K

-0.35%

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

$97.1 R$530

$127 R$694

-23.62%

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

$13.63 R$74.4

$10.06 R$54.9

35.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.41 R$117

$21.32 R$116

0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.23 R$138

$24.54 R$134

2.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 R$101

$25.69 R$140

-28.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R$40.71

$7.63 R$41.68

-2.36%

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

$354 R$1,935

$561 R$3,064

-36.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K R$84.9K

$12.3K R$67.0K

26.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$288

$38.49 R$210

37.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 R$278

$46.66 R$255

9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 R$476

$70.2 R$383

24.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 R$410

$63.6 R$347

18.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 R$2,569

$215 R$1,175

118.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 R$1,695

$158 R$863

96.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 R$4,247

$397 R$2,166

96.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 R$2,847

$284 R$1,553

83.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,247 R$12.3K

$1,575 R$8,598

42.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,720 R$9,394

$1,147 R$6,265

49.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$717 R$3,917

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

11.93

-3.27%

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

Last update for Curitiba: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$310 31.1%

Barbacena

$158 19.7% 49.1% $152

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$184 18.4%

Barbacena

$201 25.1% 9.4% $17

Eating Out

Curitiba

$139 13.9%

Barbacena

$95 11.9% 31.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$132 13.2%

Barbacena

$159 19.8% 20% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 12%

Barbacena

$99 12.3% 17.7% $21

Getting Around

Curitiba

$74 7.4%

Barbacena

$50 6.3% 32.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$40 4%

Barbacena

$40 5% 0.8% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Curitiba and $215 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $20 in Barbacena. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $201, with Curitiba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

125,317

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Barbacena 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Barbacena

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

Curitiba vs Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,000 in Curitiba and $802 in Barbacena, so Barbacena is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,500 in Curitiba and $1,202 in Barbacena 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: $470 in Curitiba versus $215 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,000 per month in Curitiba versus $802 in Barbacena – Barbacena is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 37% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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