Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Lavras

For one person, living is cheaper in Lavras: $824 a month against $1,005 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Lavras
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Lavras Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Lavras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Lavras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Curitiba versus $824 in Lavras.

Curitiba $1,005
Lavras $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Curitiba versus $1,177 in Lavras.

Curitiba $1,555
Lavras $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,105 in Curitiba versus $1,530 in Lavras.

Curitiba $2,105
Lavras $1,530

Living in Curitiba is roughly 22% more expensive than in Lavras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 26% lower, Lavras 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 R$40.55

$4.06 R$21.73

86.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.75 R$196

$17.26 R$92.3

112.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 R$45.01

$7.57 R$40.50

11.23%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$13.98

$1.72 R$9.22

51.74%

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

$1.04 R$5.54

$1.19 R$6.35

-12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.68

$0.63 R$3.36

38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R$13.74

$2.01 R$10.75

27.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R$20.32

$2.17 R$11.58

75.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.40

$0.77 R$4.12

31.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.16

$1.68 R$8.97

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.59

$1.28 R$6.83

-3.91%

Eggs

$2.41 R$12.91

$2.17 R$11.59

11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 R$51.9

$9.44 R$50.5

2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$24.70

$4.09 R$21.89

12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 R$51.9

$7.28 R$38.93

33.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.94

$1.14 R$6.10

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.34

$1.15 R$6.12

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.24

$0.78 R$4.15

25.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.88

$1.14 R$6.11

13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.76 R$4.05

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$3.96

$0.97 R$5.18

-23.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.71

$0.79 R$4.24

-12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.73 R$3.88

12.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R$15.18

$2.34 R$12.51

21.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 R$35.31

$7.31 R$39.09

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.30

$1.10 R$5.88

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.55

$1.45 R$7.74

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$5.91

$0.94 R$5.02

17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 R$359

$56.7 R$303

18.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.38

$0.97 R$5.21

22.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.87

$0.69 R$3.68

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 R$29.54

$6.14 R$32.84

-10.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.77

$1.22 R$6.54

4.10%

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

$22.6K R$120.7K

$21.6K R$115.6K

4.35%

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

$31.5K R$168.4K

$31.7K R$169.4K

-0.61%

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

$98.2 R$525

$71.4 R$382

37.47%

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

$13.78 R$73.7

$9.85 R$52.7

39.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.88 R$117

$19.49 R$104

12.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$138

$28.20 R$151

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.57 R$99.3

$16.82 R$89.9

10.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.06

$7.27 R$38.88

3.03%

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

$358 R$1,915

$265 R$1,418

35.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K R$56.1K

$3,118 R$16.7K

236.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R$279

$57.5 R$307

-9.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 R$276

$45.65 R$244

13.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 R$472

$91.5 R$489

-3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$398

$66.4 R$355

12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,479

$336 R$1,795

38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,607

$232 R$1,239

29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 R$4,168

$329 R$1,759

136.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,826

$263 R$1,406

101.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 R$12.3K

$1,156 R$6,184

99.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 R$9,130

$968 R$5,176

76.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 R$3,478

$452 R$2,418

43.84%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Lavras: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$301 29.9%

Lavras

$232 28.1% 22.9% $69

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$188 18.7%

Lavras

$169 20.6% 9.9% $19

Eating Out

Curitiba

$145 14.5%

Lavras

$98 11.8% 32.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$134 13.3%

Lavras

$101 12.2% 24.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 11.9%

Lavras

$117 14.3% 2.1% $2.5

Getting Around

Curitiba

$76 7.6%

Lavras

$65 7.9% 15.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$41 4.1%

Lavras

$43 5.2% 4.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Curitiba and $336 in Lavras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $17 in Lavras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $169 per month, with Lavras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Lavras

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

104,761

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Curitiba Lavras 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Lavras

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 Lavras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lavras wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lavras the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $464 in Curitiba versus $336 in Lavras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lavras runs roughly 16% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $358 in Curitiba versus $265 in Lavras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lavras 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.

Expats usually find Lavras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.