Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Curitiba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
Learn more

Curitiba Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
Learn more

Guarulhos Living Index

Jump to prices

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $964 in Guarulhos.

Curitiba $1,055
Guarulhos $964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,764 in Guarulhos.

Curitiba $1,641
Guarulhos $1,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $2,565 in Guarulhos.

Curitiba $2,228
Guarulhos $2,565

Living in Curitiba is roughly 9% more expensive than in Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Guarulhos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$8.69 R$44.06

-7.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$40.01 R$203

-2.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$9.00 R$45.61

-3.11%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$2.46 R$12.50

7.32%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.35 R$6.82

-16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.86 R$4.37

6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$2.44 R$12.39

11.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$3.88 R$19.65

-0.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.05 R$5.32

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.88 R$9.52

-3.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.33 R$6.76

3.01%

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$2.46 R$12.47

3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$12.61 R$63.9

-20.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$4.79 R$24.27

6.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$10.70 R$54.3

-1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$2.38 R$12.07

-27.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.72 R$8.71

-38.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.53 R$7.74

-32.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.53 R$7.76

-9.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$1.26 R$6.40

-36.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$1.18 R$6.00

-32.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.98 R$4.97

-17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$0.85 R$4.32

-3.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$2.49 R$12.65

18.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$9.88 R$50.1

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.50 R$7.62

-12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$2.49 R$12.64

2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.24 R$6.30

-5.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

$105 R$532

-32.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.17 R$5.94

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.72 R$3.64

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

$8.49 R$43.03

-29.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.28 R$6.50

1.56%

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

$23.3K R$118.0K

$23.6K R$119.5K

-1.32%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-2.55%

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

$105 R$534

$91.6 R$465

15.06%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$14.98 R$75.9

-3.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$22.33 R$113

5.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$28.22 R$143

2.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$10.05 R$50.9

-22.59%

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

$383 R$1,943

$429 R$2,173

-10.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$11.0K R$56.0K

-1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$65.1 R$330

-11.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$57.1 R$289

-3.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$92.2 R$467

2.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$79.5 R$403

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$349 R$1,770

47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$158 R$801

92.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$995 R$5,042

-14.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$768 R$3,895

-28.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$1,944 R$9,855

27.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$1,480 R$7,502

17.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$378 R$1,914

81.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

11.25

2.58%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 48% $146

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 13.2% $27

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 1.9% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 10.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 1.9% $2.4

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 42.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 8.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Curitiba and $349 in Guarulhos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 82% 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: $39.00 in Curitiba vs $40.00 in Guarulhos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $227 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

1,291,771

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Guarulhos 350 km

From you

Curitiba
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guarulhos wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guarulhos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 82% higher in Curitiba, 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: $515 in Curitiba versus $349 in Guarulhos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Guarulhos runs roughly 48% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $383 in Curitiba versus $429 in Guarulhos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $964 in Guarulhos versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guarulhos but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Guarulhos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guarulhos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $964 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guarulhos hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guarulhos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.