Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $907 a month against $969 in Joao Pessoa, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$969

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa and in Brasilia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $907 in Brasilia.

Joao Pessoa $969
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,496 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Joao Pessoa $1,496
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,023 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Joao Pessoa $2,023
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Joao Pessoa is roughly 7% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Joao Pessoa 28% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 R$35.89

$8.23 R$45.19

-20.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.48 R$151

$37.50 R$206

-26.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 R$40.46

$8.00 R$43.92

-7.87%

Cappuccino

$1.42 R$7.82

$2.44 R$13.37

-41.80%

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

$0.97 R$5.33

$1.37 R$7.53

-29.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.65

$0.97 R$5.34

-31.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 R$9.35

$2.27 R$12.43

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 R$18.61

$3.58 R$19.67

-5.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$6.20

$0.94 R$5.17

20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 R$10.42

$1.93 R$10.60

-1.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.78

$1.22 R$6.68

16.39%

Eggs

$1.89 R$10.36

$2.25 R$12.33

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 R$42.45

$10.96 R$60.2

-29.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R$25.34

$3.68 R$20.21

25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.85 R$37.61

$8.16 R$44.79

-16.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$2.28 R$12.52

29.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.17

$1.37 R$7.50

-31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.57

$1.24 R$6.81

-33.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.90

$1.50 R$8.21

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R$8.27

$1.09 R$5.97

38.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.42

$1.02 R$5.63

14.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 R$3.85

$0.76 R$4.17

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.45

$0.94 R$5.16

5.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 R$15.44

$2.34 R$12.84

20.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 R$46.02

$7.68 R$42.15

9.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 R$8.20

$1.24 R$6.78

20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 R$16.64

$2.22 R$12.21

36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.43

$0.77 R$4.24

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 R$347

$30.34 R$167

108.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 R$10.15

$1.20 R$6.58

54.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 R$10.38

$0.84 R$4.63

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 R$16.43

$7.22 R$39.64

-58.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.65

$1.20 R$6.57

0.83%

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

$22.0K R$120.5K

$21.4K R$117.4K

2.60%

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

$30.7K R$168.5K

$31.7K R$173.7K

-2.99%

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

$119 R$654

$87.9 R$482

35.64%

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

$20.81 R$114

$11.11 R$61.0

87.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.65 R$119

$20.19 R$111

7.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.08 R$193

$30.40 R$167

15.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.65 R$152

$25.58 R$140

8.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 R$53.2

$7.23 R$39.68

34.16%

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

$400 R$2,194

$765 R$4,201

-47.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,320 R$34.7K

$16.6K R$91.3K

-62.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 R$278

$53.1 R$291

-4.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 R$340

$41.52 R$228

49.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 R$444

$78.7 R$432

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 R$393

$81.4 R$446

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 R$2,025

$508 R$2,786

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,375

$246 R$1,352

1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,357

$1,132 R$6,212

-45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 R$2,653

$584 R$3,208

-17.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,264 R$12.4K

$2,281 R$12.5K

-0.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 R$6,159

$1,623 R$8,909

-30.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$476 R$2,614

$859 R$4,717

-44.58%

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 Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$251 25.9%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 1.7% $4.2

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$191 19.7%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 2.5% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$162 16.7%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 26.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$119 12.3%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 3.9% $4.7

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$113 11.7%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 29.7% $34

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$78 8.1%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 50.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$54 5.6%

Brasilia

$45 5% 17.7% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Joao Pessoa and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Joao Pessoa vs $38 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $196 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

Same time as Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Joao Pessoa Brasilia 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
Brasilia

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

Joao Pessoa vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $969 in Joao Pessoa and $907 in Brasilia, so Brasilia is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Joao Pessoa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $369 in Joao Pessoa versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $400 in Joao Pessoa versus $765 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Joao Pessoa – a meal for two runs $27 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Brasilia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.