Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montes Claros and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $818 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
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Montes Claros Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$818

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Montes Claros versus $907 in Brasilia.

Montes Claros $818
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,288 in Montes Claros versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Montes Claros $1,288
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,758 in Montes Claros versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Montes Claros $1,758
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Montes Claros 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: Montes Claros 39% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 R$17.79

$8.23 R$44.96

-60.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.27 R$160

$37.50 R$205

-21.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 R$40.03

$8.00 R$43.70

-8.38%

Cappuccino

$1.81 R$9.87

$2.44 R$13.30

-25.82%

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

$1.19 R$6.47

$1.37 R$7.50

-13.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.77

$0.97 R$5.31

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 R$7.35

$2.27 R$12.37

-40.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$15.44

$3.58 R$19.57

-20.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.05

$0.94 R$5.14

-1.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.67

$1.93 R$10.55

-17.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.29

$1.22 R$6.65

-5.74%

Eggs

$2.08 R$11.35

$2.25 R$12.27

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 R$51.7

$10.96 R$59.8

-13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 R$21.71

$3.68 R$20.11

8.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 R$42.91

$8.16 R$44.56

-3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 R$13.23

$2.28 R$12.45

6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.65

$1.37 R$7.46

-10.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.78

$1.24 R$6.78

-14.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R$8.26

$1.50 R$8.16

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.09 R$5.94

12.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.46

$1.02 R$5.60

-1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.98

$0.76 R$4.15

-3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.58

$0.94 R$5.14

-30.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 R$12.00

$2.34 R$12.77

-5.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 R$39.39

$7.68 R$41.94

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.82

$1.24 R$6.75

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$11.34

$2.22 R$12.14

-6.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$5.02

$0.77 R$4.22

19.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.11 R$219

$30.34 R$166

32.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R$6.27

$1.20 R$6.54

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R$3.85

$0.84 R$4.61

-15.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 R$38.88

$7.22 R$39.43

-1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.40

$1.20 R$6.53

-17.50%

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

$19.7K R$107.6K

$21.4K R$116.8K

-7.90%

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

$34.4K R$187.6K

$31.7K R$172.8K

8.53%

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

$79.0 R$431

$87.9 R$480

-10.11%

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

$10.66 R$58.2

$11.11 R$60.7

-4.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 R$98.3

$20.19 R$110

-10.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.05 R$131

$30.40 R$166

-20.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.54 R$139

$25.58 R$140

-0.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R$40.52

$7.23 R$39.47

2.63%

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

$296 R$1,616

$765 R$4,179

-61.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,015 R$32.8K

$16.6K R$90.8K

-63.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$279

$53.1 R$290

-3.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.32 R$247

$41.52 R$227

9.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 R$443

$78.7 R$430

3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 R$372

$81.4 R$444

-16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 R$1,862

$508 R$2,771

-32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,313

$246 R$1,345

-2.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 R$3,524

$1,132 R$6,180

-42.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 R$2,473

$584 R$3,191

-22.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 R$9,703

$2,281 R$12.5K

-22.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,287 R$7,028

$1,623 R$8,862

-20.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$2,034

$859 R$4,692

-56.65%

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 Montes Claros: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montes Claros

$240 29.4%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 2.5% $5.9

Groceries & Markets

Montes Claros

$182 22.3%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 7.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Montes Claros

$111 13.5%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 3.6% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montes Claros

$108 13.2%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 10.7% $12

Eating Out

Montes Claros

$90 11%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 64% $57

Getting Around

Montes Claros

$48 5.9%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 19.8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Montes Claros

$39 4.8%

Brasilia

$45 5% 15.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $341 in Montes Claros and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Montes Claros vs $38 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $196 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

Same time as Montes Claros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,240

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Montes Claros vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $818 in Montes Claros and $907 in Brasilia, so Montes Claros is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Montes Claros. 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: $341 in Montes Claros versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montes Claros – a meal for two runs $29 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $818 per month in Montes Claros versus $907 in Brasilia – Montes Claros is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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.

It comes down to priorities – Montes Claros wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.