Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nova Friburgo and Loja

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index

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Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$608

/mo nomad

Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Loja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Nova Friburgo $608
Loja $679

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

Nova Friburgo $1,017
Loja $1,072

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

Nova Friburgo $1,426
Loja $1,464

Nova Friburgo is about 10% cheaper than Loja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.05 R$30.66

$3.01 $3.01

101.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.82 R$151

$20.12 $20.12

48.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.36 R$32.25

$5.63 $5.63

12.97%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R$8.88

$2.23 $2.23

-21.52%

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

$0.91 R$4.61

$0.76 $0.76

19.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$2.88

$0.43 $0.43

32.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.24 $1.24

-1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.28

$3.22 $3.22

-24.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.15

$0.99 $0.99

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.55

$1.51 $1.51

-1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$1.27 $1.27

7.87%

Eggs

$1.97 R$9.98

$2.00 $2.00

-1.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R$44.51

$5.62 $5.62

56.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 R$16.84

$4.25 $4.25

-21.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 R$48.83

$6.08 $6.08

58.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.25

$1.63 $1.63

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.04 $1.04

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.96

$1.20 $1.20

-18.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.09 $1.09

15.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.56

$1.05 $1.05

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.04 $1.04

-17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.90

$0.52 $0.52

9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.14

$1.07 $1.07

-23.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 R$7.94

$5.36 $5.36

-70.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.04 R$30.60

$6.91 $6.91

-12.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.53 $1.53

-36.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.95

$2.93 $2.93

-53.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.33 $0.33

196.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.21 $1.21

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 R$2.77

$1.12 $1.12

-50.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 R$34.02

$10.12 $10.12

-33.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$0.79 $0.79

62.03%

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

$19.7K R$99.7K

$14.8K $14.8K

33.31%

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

$30.5K R$154.5K

$29.1K $29.1K

4.62%

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

$40.04 R$203

$19.73 $19.73

102.94%

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

$9.52 R$48.26

$11.38 $11.38

-16.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 R$95.2

$26.80 $26.80

-29.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.63 R$110

$30.31 $30.31

-28.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 $15.27

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$34.69

$7.51 $7.51

-8.92%

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

$142 R$719

$181 $181

-21.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,604 R$13.2K

$2,034 $2,034

27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.6 R$348

$53.4 $53.4

28.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.6 R$424

$47.68 $47.68

75.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 R$340

$79.7 $79.7

-15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.52 R$241

$72.0 $72.0

-33.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 R$789

$237 $237

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.8 R$506

$173 $173

-42.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R$2,005

$390 $390

1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,195

$318 $318

-25.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 R$7,998

$560 $560

181.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R$3,980

$319 $319

145.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 R$2,542

$496 $496

1.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.5

25.53%

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

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Loja: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nova Friburgo

$171 28.2%

Loja

$167 24.5% 2.8% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nova Friburgo

$120 19.7%

Loja

$114 16.7% 5.3% $6.3

Eating Out

Nova Friburgo

$105 17.3%

Loja

$85 12.5% 19.2% $20

Accommodation & Living

Nova Friburgo

$100 16.4%

Loja

$173 25.5% 73.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nova Friburgo

$68 11.2%

Loja

$58 8.5% 15.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nova Friburgo

$35 5.8%

Loja

$45 6.7% 28.4% $10

Getting Around

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3%

Loja

$38 5.5% 377% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Nova Friburgo versus $237 in Loja. 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo versus $20.00 in Loja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $167 – making Loja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🇪🇨 Loja

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

2 h behind Nova Friburgo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,939

180,617

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

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

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Nova Friburgo
Loja

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 Loja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $912 per month in Nova Friburgo and $1,019 in Loja. 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo and $20.00 in Loja. 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 $608 in Nova Friburgo and $679 in Loja, 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.