Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lages and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $931 in Lages versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Lages $931
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,494 in Lages versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Lages $1,494
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,058 in Lages versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Lages $2,058
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Lages costs roughly 7% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lages 31% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 R$40.28

$8.80 R$44.59

-9.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.35 R$199

$39.84 R$202

-1.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 R$34.96

$8.26 R$41.87

-16.46%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$2.72 R$13.81

-7.35%

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

$1.42 R$7.22

$1.57 R$7.96

-9.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.39

$1.00 R$5.07

6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R$12.56

$2.33 R$11.81

6.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$3.92 R$19.85

-23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.09 R$5.53

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.52

$2.07 R$10.52

-18.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$1.36 R$6.87

-19.85%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.45

$2.43 R$12.33

1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 R$52.1

$11.64 R$59.0

-11.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 R$24.73

$4.07 R$20.62

19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$8.80 R$44.60

12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 R$12.42

$2.49 R$12.64

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.69

$1.48 R$7.48

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.16

$1.34 R$6.79

5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.63 R$8.29

-0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.23 R$6.25

1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.47

$1.04 R$5.27

3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.79

$0.86 R$4.34

9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$0.95 R$4.80

-14.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R$12.87

$2.52 R$12.77

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 R$41.66

$8.39 R$42.54

-2.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.76

$1.31 R$6.65

-12.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$11.47

$2.41 R$12.23

-6.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.01 R$5.13

-0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.06 R$223

$35.30 R$179

24.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.51

$1.10 R$5.58

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.93 R$4.73

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 R$42.05

$6.17 R$31.25

34.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.29 R$6.54

3.88%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$23.4K R$118.8K

2.17%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-0.88%

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

$77.0 R$390

$96.3 R$488

-20.05%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$12.59 R$63.8

-2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 R$112

$22.58 R$114

-2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.95 R$132

$33.65 R$171

-22.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.71 R$140

$27.87 R$141

-0.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.02

$7.78 R$39.43

-3.60%

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

$282 R$1,428

$815 R$4,133

-65.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,318 R$37.1K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-57.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 R$255

$55.4 R$281

-9.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$44.23 R$224

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R$518

$85.0 R$431

20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R$404

$87.8 R$445

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 R$1,833

$494 R$2,506

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,241

$282 R$1,427

-13.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 R$3,454

$1,127 R$5,711

-39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,358

$593 R$3,004

-21.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$8,643

$2,522 R$12.8K

-32.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 R$6,164

$1,753 R$8,885

-30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

12.12

-5.12%

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

Last update for Lages: 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

Lages

$245 26.3%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 15% $37

Groceries & Markets

Lages

$207 22.3%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 2.4% $5

Eating Out

Lages

$143 15.3%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 10.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lages

$130 14%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lages

$111 12%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 18.1% $20

Getting Around

Lages

$53 5.7%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 15.6% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lages

$41 4.4%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 20.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $362 in Lages and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Lages vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $212 per month, with Lages cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lages

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Lages

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,981

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

On the map

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Between locations

Lages Brasilia 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lages
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

Lages vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lages and Brasilia differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($931 vs $1,000 including rent). Lages is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,396 in Lages 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: $362 in Lages versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lages – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $931 per month in Lages versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $931 in Lages versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lages but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Lages 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 Lages gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.