Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $735 a month against $1,055 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,055

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Santa Maria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Curitiba versus $735 in Santa Maria.

Curitiba $1,055
Santa Maria $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,641 in Curitiba versus $1,233 in Santa Maria.

Curitiba $1,641
Santa Maria $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Curitiba versus $1,731 in Santa Maria.

Curitiba $2,228
Santa Maria $1,731

Living in Curitiba is roughly 43% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 22% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.08 R$40.95

$5.52 R$28.00

46.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 R$198

$35.42 R$180

10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 R$44.21

$6.88 R$34.89

26.74%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R$13.40

$1.83 R$9.27

44.26%

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

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.10 R$5.58

2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.67 R$3.40

37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.84

$1.58 R$8.00

72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 R$19.56

$3.04 R$15.43

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.02 R$5.18

3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.24

$1.61 R$8.16

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.09 R$5.55

25.69%

Eggs

$2.54 R$12.87

$2.17 R$10.98

17.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$9.00 R$45.62

11.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R$25.75

$3.99 R$20.23

27.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$8.17 R$41.44

28.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.70

$2.42 R$12.29

-28.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.45 R$7.34

-27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.40 R$7.08

-26.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.50 R$7.62

-7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.04

$1.15 R$5.85

-30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 R$4.03

$1.09 R$5.51

-26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.93 R$4.70

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.17

$0.88 R$4.44

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.88

$2.36 R$11.95

24.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R$36.10

$7.90 R$40.02

-9.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.16 R$5.87

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$12.89

$2.13 R$10.78

19.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 R$5.91

$0.96 R$4.85

21.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 R$360

$29.89 R$152

137.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.31 R$6.63

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.85 R$4.31

-10.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 R$30.23

$8.45 R$42.81

-29.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.27 R$6.45

2.36%

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

$23.3K R$118.0K

$23.1K R$116.9K

0.94%

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

$33.3K R$169.0K

$32.4K R$164.5K

2.77%

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

$105 R$534

$53.5 R$271

97.01%

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

$14.51 R$73.6

$12.64 R$64.1

14.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.46 R$119

$16.55 R$83.9

41.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 R$147

$23.46 R$119

23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 R$102

$12.11 R$61.4

65.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.45

$5.59 R$28.35

39.18%

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

$383 R$1,943

$162 R$820

136.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$55.4K

$3,007 R$15.2K

263.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$292

$50.9 R$258

13.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 R$280

$43.01 R$218

28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 R$480

$95.2 R$483

-0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 R$410

$63.5 R$322

27.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 R$2,612

$290 R$1,468

77.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,540

$167 R$845

82.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,316

$629 R$3,188

35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 R$2,785

$392 R$1,989

39.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 R$12.5K

$1,956 R$9,914

26.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 R$8,847

$684 R$3,468

155.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$687 R$3,481

$641 R$3,248

7.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

15.40%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$304 28.8%

Santa Maria

$167 22.7% 45.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$200 19%

Santa Maria

$190 25.9% 4.9% $9.9

Eating Out

Curitiba

$152 14.4%

Santa Maria

$108 14.7% 29.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$143 13.6%

Santa Maria

$83 11.3% 42.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$130 12.3%

Santa Maria

$114 15.5% 12.4% $16

Getting Around

Curitiba

$81 7.7%

Santa Maria

$39 5.3% 51.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$45 4.2%

Santa Maria

$35 4.7% 22.2% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Curitiba and $290 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 7% 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 $35.00 in Santa Maria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $190 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

271,735

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Santa Maria 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Maria wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Maria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $290 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Maria runs roughly 138% 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 $162 in Santa Maria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $735 in Santa Maria versus $1,055 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Maria but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Maria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Maria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $735 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Maria hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Santa Maria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.