Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Varginha

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $692 a month against $1,005 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,005

/mo nomad

Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Curitiba and in Varginha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Curitiba versus $692 in Varginha.

Curitiba $1,005
Varginha $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Curitiba versus $1,096 in Varginha.

Curitiba $1,555
Varginha $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,105 in Curitiba versus $1,501 in Varginha.

Curitiba $2,105
Varginha $1,501

Living in Curitiba is roughly 45% more expensive than in Varginha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curitiba 26% lower, Varginha 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 R$40.55

$8.22 R$43.96

-7.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.75 R$196

$22.48 R$120

63.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 R$45.01

$6.44 R$34.44

30.75%

Cappuccino

$2.61 R$13.98

$0.97 R$5.19

169.07%

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

$1.04 R$5.54

$0.82 R$4.38

26.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.68

$0.54 R$2.90

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R$13.74

$1.32 R$7.03

94.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R$20.32

$3.32 R$17.76

14.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.40

$0.87 R$4.67

16.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$9.16

$1.53 R$8.20

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.59

$0.96 R$5.14

28.13%

Eggs

$2.41 R$12.91

$1.35 R$7.22

78.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 R$51.9

$8.43 R$45.07

15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$24.70

$3.45 R$18.44

33.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 R$51.9

$8.29 R$44.30

17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.94

$1.32 R$7.05

26.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.34

$1.32 R$7.06

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.24

$0.95 R$5.09

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.88

$0.90 R$4.80

43.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.95 R$5.07

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$3.96

$0.90 R$4.81

-17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.71

$0.46 R$2.45

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.63 R$3.38

30.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R$15.18

$2.00 R$10.69

42.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 R$35.31

$4.70 R$25.12

40.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$6.30

$1.01 R$5.42

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.55

$1.69 R$9.02

39.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$5.91

$0.83 R$4.46

32.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 R$359

$47.10 R$252

42.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.38

$0.89 R$4.73

33.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.87

$0.67 R$3.57

7.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 R$29.54

$5.85 R$31.28

-5.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.77

$1.07 R$5.72

18.69%

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

$22.6K R$120.7K

$21.9K R$117.0K

3.12%

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

$31.5K R$168.4K

$27.0K R$144.6K

16.47%

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

$98.2 R$525

$95.0 R$508

3.40%

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

$13.78 R$73.7

$4.60 R$24.62

199.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.88 R$117

$18.26 R$97.7

19.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$138

$23.85 R$128

8.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.57 R$99.3

$26.19 R$140

-29.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.06

$7.42 R$39.66

0.94%

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

$358 R$1,915

$201 R$1,075

78.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K R$56.1K

$4,073 R$21.8K

157.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R$279

$32.83 R$176

58.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 R$276

$55.1 R$295

-6.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 R$472

$75.1 R$402

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 R$398

$54.9 R$293

35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,479

$137 R$734

237.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,607

$112 R$598

168.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 R$4,168

$254 R$1,359

206.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,826

$237 R$1,267

123.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 R$12.3K

$1,568 R$8,383

47.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 R$9,130

$1,166 R$6,237

46.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 R$3,478

$421 R$2,250

54.59%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Varginha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$301 29.9%

Varginha

$112 16.2% 62.8% $189

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$188 18.7%

Varginha

$155 22.5% 17.3% $33

Eating Out

Curitiba

$145 14.5%

Varginha

$115 16.7% 20.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$134 13.3%

Varginha

$118 17% 12% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$120 11.9%

Varginha

$98 14.2% 18.3% $22

Getting Around

Curitiba

$76 7.6%

Varginha

$55 7.9% 28.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$41 4.1%

Varginha

$39 5.6% 5.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Curitiba and $137 in Varginha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Curitiba vs $22 in Varginha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $155 per month, with Varginha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇧🇷 Varginha

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

136,467

💱 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 Varginha 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
Varginha

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 Varginha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varginha wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varginha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% 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 $137 in Varginha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Varginha runs roughly 30% less than in Curitiba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $358 in Curitiba versus $201 in Varginha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $692 in Varginha versus $1,005 in Curitiba, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Varginha but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Varginha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Varginha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.