Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $708 a month against $1,005 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Pelotas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Curitiba versus $708 in Pelotas.

Curitiba $1,005
Pelotas $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Curitiba versus $1,099 in Pelotas.

Curitiba $1,555
Pelotas $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,105 in Curitiba versus $1,490 in Pelotas.

Curitiba $2,105
Pelotas $1,490

Living in Curitiba is roughly 42% more expensive than in Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 26% lower, Pelotas 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 R$41.23

$5.51 R$29.93

37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.75 R$200

$16.54 R$89.9

122.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 R$45.77

$6.33 R$34.41

33.02%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$14.21

$2.41 R$13.10

8.30%

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

$1.04 R$5.63

$1.21 R$6.59

-14.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.75

$0.65 R$3.55

33.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R$13.97

$1.36 R$7.40

88.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R$20.66

$1.47 R$8.00

158.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.49

$0.82 R$4.45

23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.31

$1.12 R$6.08

52.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.70

$0.81 R$4.40

51.85%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.12

$2.17 R$11.78

11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 R$52.8

$9.53 R$51.8

1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$25.12

$4.43 R$24.08

4.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 R$52.8

$9.10 R$49.45

6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.09

$2.20 R$11.99

-24.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$1.10 R$5.98

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.33

$1.33 R$7.21

-26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.99

$1.09 R$5.91

18.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.14

$1.14 R$6.19

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$4.03

$0.97 R$5.28

-23.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.77

$0.84 R$4.59

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.47

$0.49 R$2.65

67.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R$15.43

$2.22 R$12.06

27.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 R$35.91

$7.03 R$38.25

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.41

$0.63 R$3.44

87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.77

$0.91 R$4.94

158.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$6.00

$1.14 R$6.20

-3.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 R$365

$48.93 R$266

37.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.49

$1.24 R$6.74

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.94

$0.79 R$4.28

-8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 R$30.03

$7.78 R$42.30

-29.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.88

$1.21 R$6.57

4.96%

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

$22.6K R$122.7K

$22.1K R$120.3K

1.99%

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

$31.5K R$171.2K

$32.7K R$177.6K

-3.60%

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

$98.2 R$534

$72.8 R$396

34.98%

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

$13.78 R$74.9

$6.96 R$37.83

97.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.88 R$119

$18.74 R$102

16.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$140

$18.93 R$103

36.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.57 R$101

$18.43 R$100

0.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.74

$4.43 R$24.06

69.07%

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

$358 R$1,947

$524 R$2,850

-31.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K R$57.0K

$21.7K R$118.1K

-51.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R$284

$33.08 R$180

57.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 R$281

$28.06 R$153

84.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 R$480

$56.2 R$305

57.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$405

$73.4 R$399

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,521

$219 R$1,191

111.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,634

$157 R$853

91.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 R$4,238

$364 R$1,977

114.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,874

$300 R$1,629

76.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 R$12.5K

$1,425 R$7,749

61.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 R$9,283

$752 R$4,089

127.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 R$3,536

$426 R$2,318

52.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

11.5

0.35%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pelotas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$301 29.9%

Pelotas

$157 22.2% 47.8% $144

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$188 18.7%

Pelotas

$171 24.2% 8.9% $17

Eating Out

Curitiba

$145 14.5%

Pelotas

$109 15.4% 24.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$134 13.3%

Pelotas

$98 13.9% 26.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 11.9%

Pelotas

$86 12.1% 28.5% $34

Getting Around

Curitiba

$76 7.6%

Pelotas

$59 8.3% 23.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$41 4.1%

Pelotas

$28 3.9% 31.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Curitiba and $219 in Pelotas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $17 in Pelotas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $171 per month, with Pelotas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

325,685

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Curitiba Pelotas 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
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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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pelotas wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pelotas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% 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 $219 in Pelotas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pelotas runs roughly 27% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $358 in Curitiba versus $524 in Pelotas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Expats usually find Pelotas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.