Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Loja and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $608 a month against $679 in Loja, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$679

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Loja and in Nova Friburgo

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

A single person spends $679 per month in Loja vs $608 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Loja $679
Nova Friburgo $608

A couple spends around $1,072 per month in Loja vs $1,017 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Loja $1,072
Nova Friburgo $1,017

A family of three spends $1,464 per month in Loja vs $1,426 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Loja $1,464
Nova Friburgo $1,426

Loja costs about 12% more than Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Loja and Nova Friburgo are more affordable than the global median – Loja 50% lower, Nova Friburgo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 $3.01

$6.05 R$30.66

-50.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.12 $20.12

$29.82 R$151

-32.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 $5.63

$6.36 R$32.25

-11.48%

Cappuccino

$2.23 $2.23

$1.75 R$8.88

27.43%

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

$0.76 $0.76

$0.91 R$4.61

-16.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 $0.43

$0.57 R$2.88

-24.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.22 R$6.17

1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.42 R$12.28

33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.02 R$5.15

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.49 R$7.55

1.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.37 R$6.94

-7.30%

Eggs

$2.00 $2.00

$1.97 R$9.98

1.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$8.78 R$44.51

-35.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.32 R$16.84

28.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$9.63 R$48.83

-36.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.63 R$8.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.20 R$6.09

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.98 R$4.96

22.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.26 R$6.41

-13.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.70 R$3.56

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.86 R$4.37

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.57 R$2.90

-8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.82 R$4.14

30.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.57 R$7.94

241.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$6.04 R$30.60

14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.97 R$4.90

57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.37 R$6.95

113.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.98 R$4.98

-66.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.21 R$6.12

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.55 R$2.77

103.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.12 $10.12

$6.71 R$34.02

50.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.28 R$6.50

-38.28%

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

$14.8K $14.8K

$19.7K R$99.7K

-24.99%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$30.5K R$154.5K

-4.42%

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

$19.73 $19.73

$40.04 R$203

-50.72%

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

$11.38 $11.38

$9.52 R$48.26

19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.80 $26.80

$18.79 R$95.2

42.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.31 $30.31

$21.63 R$110

40.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 $15.27

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 $7.51

$6.84 R$34.69

9.80%

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

$181 $181

$142 R$719

27.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,034 $2,034

$2,604 R$13.2K

-21.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$68.6 R$348

-22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 $47.68

$83.6 R$424

-42.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 $79.7

$67.1 R$340

18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$47.52 R$241

51.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 $237

$156 R$789

52.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 $173

$99.8 R$506

73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 $390

$395 R$2,005

-1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 $318

$236 R$1,195

34.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$560 $560

$1,578 R$7,998

-64.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$319 $319

$785 R$3,980

-59.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 $496

$501 R$2,542

-1.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.67

-20.34%

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

Last update for Loja: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Loja

$173 25.5%

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4% 42.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Loja

$167 24.5%

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2% 2.9% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Loja

$114 16.7%

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7% 5.6% $6.3

Eating Out

Loja

$85 12.5%

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3% 23.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Loja

$58 8.5%

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2% 18% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Loja

$45 6.7%

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8% 22.1% $10

Getting Around

Loja

$38 5.5%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 79% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Loja versus $156 in Nova Friburgo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Nova Friburgo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Loja versus $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $171 – making Loja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Loja

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h ahead of Loja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,617

189,939

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Loja Nova Friburgo 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Loja
Nova Friburgo

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

Loja vs Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $679 in Loja, $608 in Nova Friburgo – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,019 per month in Loja and $912 in Nova Friburgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Friburgo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Loja and $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Loja – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $679 in Loja and $608 in Nova Friburgo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nova Friburgo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nova Friburgo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Loja makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.