Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $608 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Nova Friburgo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $608 in Nova Friburgo.

Curitiba $1,055
Nova Friburgo $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,017 in Nova Friburgo.

Curitiba $1,641
Nova Friburgo $1,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $1,426 in Nova Friburgo.

Curitiba $2,228
Nova Friburgo $1,426

Living in Curitiba is roughly 73% more expensive than in Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Nova Friburgo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$6.05 R$30.66

33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$29.82 R$151

30.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$6.36 R$32.25

37.11%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$1.75 R$8.88

50.86%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$0.91 R$4.61

24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.57 R$2.88

61.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$1.22 R$6.17

123.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$2.42 R$12.28

59.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.02 R$5.15

3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.49 R$7.55

22.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.37 R$6.94

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$1.97 R$9.98

28.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$8.78 R$44.51

14.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$3.32 R$16.84

53.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$9.63 R$48.83

8.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$1.63 R$8.25

5.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.20 R$6.09

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$0.98 R$4.96

5.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.26 R$6.41

10.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$0.70 R$3.56

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$0.86 R$4.37

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.57 R$2.90

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$0.82 R$4.14

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$1.57 R$7.94

87.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$6.04 R$30.60

17.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$0.97 R$4.90

35.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$1.37 R$6.95

85.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$0.98 R$4.98

19.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.21 R$6.12

4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.55 R$2.77

38.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

$6.71 R$34.02

-11.18%

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

$19.7K R$99.7K

18.33%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$30.5K R$154.5K

9.39%

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

$105 R$534

$40.04 R$203

163.34%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$9.52 R$48.26

52.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$18.79 R$95.2

24.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$21.63 R$110

33.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$6.84 R$34.69

13.74%

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

$383 R$1,943

$142 R$719

170.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$2,604 R$13.2K

319.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$68.6 R$348

-16.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$83.6 R$424

-33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$67.1 R$340

41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$47.52 R$241

70.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$156 R$789

231.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$99.8 R$506

204.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$395 R$2,005

115.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$236 R$1,195

133.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$1,578 R$7,998

56.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$785 R$3,980

122.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$501 R$2,542

36.95%

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 Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4% 67.1% $204

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2% 14.5% $29

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3% 30.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2% 52.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7% 7.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 90.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8% 20.7% $9.2

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 $515 in Curitiba and $156 in Nova Friburgo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 37% 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $171 per month, with Nova Friburgo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

189,939

💱 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 Nova Friburgo 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Nova Friburgo

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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nova Friburgo wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nova Friburgo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 37% 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 $156 in Nova Friburgo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Curitiba. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,055 per month in Curitiba versus $608 in Nova Friburgo – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nova Friburgo but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Friburgo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nova Friburgo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nova Friburgo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Nova Friburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.