Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Macaé $887
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Macaé $1,495
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Macaé $2,102
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Macaé costs roughly 11% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Macaé 35% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$8.80 R$44.59

-38.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$39.84 R$202

-25.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$8.26 R$41.87

-16.34%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$2.72 R$13.81

-36.76%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.57 R$7.96

-11.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.00 R$5.07

-37.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$2.33 R$11.81

-48.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$3.92 R$19.85

-28.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.09 R$5.53

-11.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$2.07 R$10.52

-24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.36 R$6.87

1.47%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$2.43 R$12.33

-20.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$11.64 R$59.0

-21.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$4.07 R$20.62

-17.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$8.80 R$44.60

10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$2.49 R$12.64

-25.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.48 R$7.48

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.34 R$6.79

-28.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.63 R$8.29

-24.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$1.23 R$6.25

-47.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.04 R$5.27

-22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$0.86 R$4.34

-37.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$0.95 R$4.80

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$2.52 R$12.77

-38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$8.39 R$42.54

-27.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.31 R$6.65

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$2.41 R$12.23

-48.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$1.01 R$5.13

59.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$35.30 R$179

137.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$1.10 R$5.58

28.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$0.93 R$4.73

-15.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$6.17 R$31.25

28.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.29 R$6.54

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-8.24%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-7.44%

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

$100.0 R$507

$96.3 R$488

3.77%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$12.59 R$63.8

-18.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$22.58 R$114

-16.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$33.65 R$171

18.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$27.87 R$141

22.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$7.78 R$39.43

-12.72%

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

$648 R$3,283

$815 R$4,133

-20.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-59.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$55.4 R$281

13.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$44.23 R$224

-27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$85.0 R$431

-21.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$87.8 R$445

-46.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$494 R$2,506

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$282 R$1,427

-14.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$1,127 R$5,711

-21.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$593 R$3,004

12.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$2,522 R$12.8K

-49.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$1,753 R$8,885

-54.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$850 R$4,310

-6.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

12.12

-11.96%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 16.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 25.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 2% $2.6

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 50.7% $53

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 52.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 30.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 7.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $212 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

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

Macaé Brasilia 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Brasilia differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $1,000 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Brasilia. 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: $370 in Macaé versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Macaé versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.