Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Brasilia despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $830 in Palmas versus $907 in Brasilia.

Palmas $830
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,281 in Palmas versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Palmas $1,281
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,733 in Palmas versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Palmas $1,733
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Palmas costs roughly 9% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Palmas 39% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.01

$8.23 R$45.19

-53.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.86 R$120

$37.50 R$206

-41.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R$40.65

$8.00 R$43.92

-7.37%

Cappuccino

$1.73 R$9.48

$2.44 R$13.37

-29.10%

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

$1.63 R$8.96

$1.37 R$7.53

18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$0.97 R$5.34

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.99

$2.27 R$12.43

-35.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.91

$3.58 R$19.67

-24.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.60

$0.94 R$5.17

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R$7.36

$1.93 R$10.60

-30.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 R$15.15

$1.22 R$6.68

126.23%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.24

$2.25 R$12.33

7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 R$36.36

$10.96 R$60.2

-39.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$3.68 R$20.21

-19.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$31.58

$8.16 R$44.79

-29.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.97

$2.28 R$12.52

-4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.57

$1.37 R$7.50

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$1.24 R$6.81

-8.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.93

$1.50 R$8.21

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.51

$1.09 R$5.97

9.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.02 R$5.63

1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.13

$0.76 R$4.17

-1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.90

$0.94 R$5.16

-24.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$11.30

$2.34 R$12.84

-11.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 R$35.25

$7.68 R$42.15

-16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.24 R$6.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$11.02

$2.22 R$12.21

-9.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 R$4.09

$0.77 R$4.24

-3.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 R$229

$30.34 R$167

37.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.20 R$6.58

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.83

$0.84 R$4.63

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 R$34.35

$7.22 R$39.64

-13.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$6.08

$1.20 R$6.57

-7.50%

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

$19.7K R$108.0K

$21.4K R$117.4K

-8.03%

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

$30.8K R$169.3K

$31.7K R$173.7K

-2.56%

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

$106 R$581

$87.9 R$482

20.45%

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

$10.92 R$59.9

$11.11 R$61.0

-1.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 R$102

$20.19 R$111

-8.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.99 R$121

$30.40 R$167

-27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$25.58 R$140

2.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$33.62

$7.23 R$39.68

-15.21%

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

$142 R$779

$765 R$4,201

-81.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,428 R$35.3K

$16.6K R$91.3K

-61.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.94 R$186

$53.1 R$291

-36.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.29 R$271

$41.52 R$228

18.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 R$582

$78.7 R$432

34.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$367

$81.4 R$446

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 R$1,696

$508 R$2,786

-39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,276

$246 R$1,352

-5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,354

$1,132 R$6,212

-46.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 R$2,532

$584 R$3,208

-21.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 R$8,869

$2,281 R$12.5K

-29.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 R$6,257

$1,623 R$8,909

-29.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$859 R$4,717

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 Palmas: 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

Palmas

$233 28%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$167 20.1%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 17.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$135 16.3%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 11.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$115 13.9%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 0.6% $0.7

Eating Out

Palmas

$96 11.6%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 53% $51

Getting Around

Palmas

$49 6%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 21.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$34 4.1%

Brasilia

$45 5% 31% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Palmas and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Palmas vs $38 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $167 vs $196 per month, with Palmas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Palmas Brasilia 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

Palmas vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $830 in Palmas and $907 in Brasilia, so Palmas is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,244 in Palmas and $1,360 in Brasilia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Palmas versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Palmas – a meal for two runs $22 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $830 per month in Palmas versus $907 in Brasilia – Palmas is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Palmas 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.