Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $887 in Macaé.

Curitiba $1,055
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Curitiba $1,641
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Curitiba $2,228
Macaé $2,102

Living in Curitiba is roughly 19% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Macaé 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$5.43 R$27.54

48.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$29.78 R$151

31.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$6.91 R$35.00

26.19%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$1.72 R$8.73

53.49%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.39 R$7.04

-18.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.63 R$3.18

46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$1.21 R$6.16

125.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$2.79 R$14.16

38.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$0.96 R$4.85

10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.56 R$7.91

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.38 R$6.99

-0.72%

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$1.94 R$9.85

30.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$9.12 R$46.21

10.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$3.34 R$16.92

52.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$9.69 R$49.10

8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$1.86 R$9.40

-7.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.20 R$6.11

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$0.96 R$4.85

7.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.23 R$6.21

13.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$0.64 R$3.23

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$0.81 R$4.09

-1.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.54 R$2.73

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$0.52 R$2.64

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$1.56 R$7.88

88.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$6.09 R$30.86

16.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$0.95 R$4.82

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$1.25 R$6.35

103.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.61 R$8.16

-27.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

$83.9 R$425

-15.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.41 R$7.14

-10.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.79 R$4.03

-3.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

$7.92 R$40.16

-24.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.29 R$6.53

0.78%

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

$23.3K R$118.0K

$21.5K R$109.0K

8.22%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$31.2K R$158.2K

6.88%

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

$105 R$534

$100.0 R$507

5.49%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$10.21 R$51.7

42.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$18.76 R$95.1

25.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$39.82 R$202

-27.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

$34.04 R$173

-41.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$6.79 R$34.44

14.58%

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

$383 R$1,943

$648 R$3,283

-40.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$7,012 R$35.5K

55.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$63.1 R$320

-8.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$32.02 R$162

72.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$66.9 R$339

41.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$46.66 R$237

73.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$370 R$1,873

39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$241 R$1,221

26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$886 R$4,490

-3.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$669 R$3,392

-17.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$1,270 R$6,436

94.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$800 R$4,054

118.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$799 R$4,049

-14.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

10.67

8.15%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 20.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 15.5% $31

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 31.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 10.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 27.6% $36

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 18.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Macaé

$53 6% 20% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Curitiba and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Curitiba vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

246,391

💱 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

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Between locations

Curitiba Macaé 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Macaé the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Macaé. 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: $515 in Curitiba versus $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Macaé runs roughly 18% 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 $648 in Macaé. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Macaé delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $887 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Macaé hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.