Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nova Friburgo and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $608 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Nova Friburgo $608
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,017 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Nova Friburgo $1,017
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,426 in Nova Friburgo versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Nova Friburgo $1,426
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Nova Friburgo costs roughly 39% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nova Friburgo 55% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.05 R$30.66

$8.80 R$44.59

-31.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.82 R$151

$39.84 R$202

-25.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.36 R$32.25

$8.26 R$41.87

-23.00%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R$8.88

$2.72 R$13.81

-35.66%

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

$0.91 R$4.61

$1.57 R$7.96

-42.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$2.88

$1.00 R$5.07

-43.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.33 R$11.81

-47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.28

$3.92 R$19.85

-38.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.15

$1.09 R$5.53

-6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.55

$2.07 R$10.52

-28.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$1.36 R$6.87

0.74%

Eggs

$1.97 R$9.98

$2.43 R$12.33

-18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R$44.51

$11.64 R$59.0

-24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 R$16.84

$4.07 R$20.62

-18.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 R$48.83

$8.80 R$44.60

9.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.25

$2.49 R$12.64

-34.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.48 R$7.48

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.96

$1.34 R$6.79

-26.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.63 R$8.29

-22.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.56

$1.23 R$6.25

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.04 R$5.27

-17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.90

$0.86 R$4.34

-33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.14

$0.95 R$4.80

-13.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 R$7.94

$2.52 R$12.77

-37.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.04 R$30.60

$8.39 R$42.54

-28.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.31 R$6.65

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.95

$2.41 R$12.23

-43.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.01 R$5.13

-2.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.10 R$5.58

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 R$2.77

$0.93 R$4.73

-40.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 R$34.02

$6.17 R$31.25

8.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.29 R$6.54

-0.78%

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

$19.7K R$99.7K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-16.09%

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

$30.5K R$154.5K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-9.56%

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

$40.04 R$203

$96.3 R$488

-58.43%

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

$9.52 R$48.26

$12.59 R$63.8

-24.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 R$95.2

$22.58 R$114

-16.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.63 R$110

$33.65 R$171

-35.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$34.69

$7.78 R$39.43

-12.08%

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

$142 R$719

$815 R$4,133

-82.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,604 R$13.2K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-84.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.6 R$348

$55.4 R$281

23.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.6 R$424

$44.23 R$224

88.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 R$340

$85.0 R$431

-21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.52 R$241

$87.8 R$445

-45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 R$789

$494 R$2,506

-68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.8 R$506

$282 R$1,427

-64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R$2,005

$1,127 R$5,711

-64.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,195

$593 R$3,004

-60.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 R$7,998

$2,522 R$12.8K

-37.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R$3,980

$1,753 R$8,885

-55.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 R$2,542

$850 R$4,310

-41.02%

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 Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 23.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 49.6% $52

Accommodation & Living

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 182% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 92.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 39.4% $14

Getting Around

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 473% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $156 in Nova Friburgo and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 70% 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 Nova Friburgo vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $212 per month, with Nova Friburgo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

Same time as Nova Friburgo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,939

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

Nova Friburgo Brasilia 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nova Friburgo
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

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

Nova Friburgo and Brasilia differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($608 vs $1,000 including rent). Nova Friburgo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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: $156 in Nova Friburgo versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $142 in Nova Friburgo versus $815 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nova Friburgo – 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.

At $608 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nova Friburgo but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Friburgo 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 Nova Friburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.