Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperatriz and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $896 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$896

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Imperatriz and in Brasilia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Imperatriz and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $896 in Imperatriz versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Imperatriz $896
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Imperatriz versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Imperatriz $1,395
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Imperatriz versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Imperatriz $1,894
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Imperatriz costs roughly 10% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imperatriz 34% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 R$30.38

$8.80 R$44.59

-31.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.01 R$172

$39.84 R$202

-14.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.84 R$39.76

$8.26 R$41.87

-5.08%

Cappuccino

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.72 R$13.81

-28.31%

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

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.57 R$7.96

-14.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 R$2.67

$1.00 R$5.07

-47.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 R$10.51

$2.33 R$11.81

-11.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$14.99

$3.92 R$19.85

-24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.09 R$5.53

14.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 R$7.70

$2.07 R$10.52

-26.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.18

$1.36 R$6.87

4.41%

Eggs

$2.06 R$10.42

$2.43 R$12.33

-15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 R$45.69

$11.64 R$59.0

-22.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 R$21.89

$4.07 R$20.62

6.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 R$44.49

$8.80 R$44.60

-0.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$9.72

$2.49 R$12.64

-22.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.48 R$7.48

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.58

$1.34 R$6.79

-17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.63 R$8.29

-3.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.23 R$6.25

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.04 R$5.27

19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.80

$0.86 R$4.34

-12.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.08

$0.95 R$4.80

-14.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$13.63

$2.52 R$12.77

6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.53 R$43.23

$8.39 R$42.54

1.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.92

$1.31 R$6.65

-10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R$10.73

$2.41 R$12.23

-12.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.01 R$5.13

-7.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.50 R$226

$35.30 R$179

26.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.10 R$5.58

25.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R$4.59

$0.93 R$4.73

-2.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R$42.82

$6.17 R$31.25

36.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.29 R$6.54

-3.10%

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

$20.7K R$105.2K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-11.47%

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

$34.6K R$175.6K

$33.7K R$170.9K

2.78%

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

$68.8 R$349

$96.3 R$488

-28.53%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$12.59 R$63.8

-14.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 R$106

$22.58 R$114

-7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.81 R$131

$33.65 R$171

-23.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.36 R$154

$27.87 R$141

8.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 R$38.93

$7.78 R$39.43

-1.29%

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

$288 R$1,459

$815 R$4,133

-64.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,514 R$38.1K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-56.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R$309

$55.4 R$281

9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 R$286

$44.23 R$224

27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 R$424

$85.0 R$431

-1.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.2 R$326

$87.8 R$445

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 R$2,023

$494 R$2,506

-19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 R$1,361

$282 R$1,427

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 R$3,518

$1,127 R$5,711

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 R$2,265

$593 R$3,004

-24.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$8,645

$2,522 R$12.8K

-32.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,081 R$5,482

$1,753 R$8,885

-38.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

-9.24%

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

Last update for Imperatriz: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imperatriz

$269 30%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 4.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Imperatriz

$193 21.6%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Imperatriz

$119 13.3%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 2.8% $3.3

Eating Out

Imperatriz

$119 13.3%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 32.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperatriz

$100 11.2%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 30.9% $31

Getting Around

Imperatriz

$54 6.1%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 16.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Imperatriz

$41 4.6%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 19.5% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $399 in Imperatriz and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Imperatriz vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $212 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

Same time as Imperatriz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,110

2,817,381 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Imperatriz Brasilia 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Imperatriz
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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

Imperatriz vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperatriz and Brasilia differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($896 vs $1,000 including rent). Imperatriz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,343 in Imperatriz and $1,499 in Brasilia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $399 in Imperatriz versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $896 per month in Imperatriz versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $896 in Imperatriz versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz 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 Imperatriz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.