Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paulista and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $1,008 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $787 in Paulista versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Paulista $787
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Paulista versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Paulista $1,225
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,663 in Paulista versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Paulista $1,663
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Paulista costs roughly 22% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Paulista 42% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.05 R$35.72

$9.23 R$46.81

-23.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.92 R$80.7

$39.99 R$203

-60.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$41.79

$8.44 R$42.79

-2.37%

Cappuccino

$1.58 R$8.03

$2.62 R$13.29

-39.69%

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

$1.07 R$5.43

$1.52 R$7.70

-29.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 R$2.13

$0.91 R$4.63

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 R$9.71

$2.43 R$12.30

-20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 R$17.94

$3.99 R$20.23

-11.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.16

$1.10 R$5.57

-7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 R$9.20

$2.07 R$10.47

-12.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.36 R$6.90

-24.26%

Eggs

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.46 R$12.47

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.89 R$14.64

$12.06 R$61.1

-76.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.96 R$15.01

$4.00 R$20.29

-26.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.69 R$28.86

$9.09 R$46.06

-37.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R$10.25

$2.43 R$12.33

-16.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.53 R$7.76

-37.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 R$4.64

$1.33 R$6.73

-30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.73 R$8.76

-31.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.17 R$5.95

17.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 R$4.26

$1.04 R$5.28

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 R$2.09

$0.83 R$4.20

-50.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.99 R$5.03

-13.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.27 R$11.52

$2.43 R$12.34

-6.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.74 R$18.95

$8.26 R$41.86

-54.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R$7.87

$1.28 R$6.50

21.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 R$16.70

$2.48 R$12.58

32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.28

$1.03 R$5.23

0.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.16 R$244

$36.05 R$183

33.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 R$9.99

$1.05 R$5.32

87.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 R$5.95

$0.91 R$4.63

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 R$16.46

$6.31 R$31.99

-48.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.51

$1.28 R$6.51

-14.84%

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

$14.2K R$72.2K

$24.2K R$122.5K

-41.05%

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

$30.0K R$151.9K

$33.3K R$169.0K

-10.08%

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

$46.71 R$237

$98.4 R$499

-52.54%

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

$23.42 R$119

$12.88 R$65.3

81.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.62 R$120

$22.35 R$113

5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.85 R$131

$34.14 R$173

-24.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.58 R$140

$28.34 R$144

-2.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 R$29.81

$7.78 R$39.45

-24.42%

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

$69.7 R$353

$834 R$4,230

-91.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,903 R$35.0K

$17.3K R$87.9K

-60.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.37 R$93.1

$56.8 R$288

-67.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.6 R$348

$45.40 R$230

51.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 R$256

$85.5 R$433

-41.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 R$303

$90.5 R$459

-34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,796

$507 R$2,572

-30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,201

$279 R$1,412

-14.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 R$3,485

$1,123 R$5,693

-38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,353

$568 R$2,881

-18.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,798 R$9,115

$2,518 R$12.8K

-28.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,346 R$6,824

$1,744 R$8,840

-22.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 R$4,263

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 Paulista: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paulista

$237 30.1%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 17.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Paulista

$147 18.6%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 46.2% $68

Eating Out

Paulista

$123 15.6%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 30.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paulista

$94 11.9%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 42.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Paulista

$89 11.3%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 41.1% $37

Getting Around

Paulista

$60 7.7%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 23.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Paulista

$38 4.8%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 32.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Paulista and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Paulista vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $214 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Paulista

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

Same time as Paulista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,167

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

Paulista Brasilia 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Paulista
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

Paulista vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paulista and Brasilia differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($787 vs $1,008 including rent). Paulista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,180 in Paulista and $1,512 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: $354 in Paulista versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Paulista – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $787 per month in Paulista versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $787 in Paulista versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Paulista but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Paulista 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 Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.