Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pelotas and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $759 a month against $1,008 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

Jump to prices

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$759

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $759 in Pelotas versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Pelotas $759
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,178 in Pelotas versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Pelotas $1,178
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,598 in Pelotas versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Pelotas $1,598
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Pelotas costs roughly 25% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pelotas 44% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 R$31.21

$9.23 R$46.81

-33.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.70 R$89.7

$39.99 R$203

-55.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 R$33.78

$8.44 R$42.79

-21.09%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.62 R$13.29

-4.96%

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

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.52 R$7.70

-11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.65

$0.91 R$4.63

-20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.41

$2.43 R$12.30

-39.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 R$7.87

$3.99 R$20.23

-61.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 R$4.47

$1.10 R$5.57

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.07 R$10.47

-42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 R$4.61

$1.36 R$6.90

-33.09%

Eggs

$2.31 R$11.69

$2.46 R$12.47

-6.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 R$51.5

$12.06 R$61.1

-15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 R$23.91

$4.00 R$20.29

18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$49.37

$9.09 R$46.06

7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.43 R$12.33

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.01

$1.53 R$7.76

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.11

$1.33 R$6.73

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.19

$1.73 R$8.76

-29.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.17 R$5.95

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.04 R$5.28

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R$4.41

$0.83 R$4.20

4.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.59

$0.99 R$5.03

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.08

$2.43 R$12.34

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 R$38.01

$8.26 R$41.86

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.44

$1.28 R$6.50

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.14

$2.48 R$12.58

-59.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.03 R$5.23

19.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 R$266

$36.05 R$183

45.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.05 R$5.32

24.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.03

$0.91 R$4.63

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 R$41.92

$6.31 R$31.99

31.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.28 R$6.51

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$24.2K R$122.5K

-2.59%

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

$33.8K R$171.4K

$33.3K R$169.0K

1.42%

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

$77.7 R$394

$98.4 R$499

-21.02%

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

$7.73 R$39.19

$12.88 R$65.3

-39.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.15 R$102

$22.35 R$113

-9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.80 R$100

$34.14 R$173

-42.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.13 R$102

$28.34 R$144

-28.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 R$25.08

$7.78 R$39.45

-36.38%

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

$573 R$2,902

$834 R$4,230

-31.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K R$122.5K

$17.3K R$87.9K

39.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.20 R$178

$56.8 R$288

-38.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.28 R$154

$45.40 R$230

-33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 R$307

$85.5 R$433

-29.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 R$410

$90.5 R$459

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,202

$507 R$2,572

-53.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 R$843

$279 R$1,412

-40.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R$1,978

$1,123 R$5,693

-65.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 R$1,603

$568 R$2,881

-44.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,579 R$8,004

$2,518 R$12.8K

-37.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$802 R$4,065

$1,744 R$8,840

-54.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 R$2,331

$841 R$4,263

-45.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

12.12

-5.12%

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

Last update for Pelotas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pelotas

$184 24.2%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 16.7% $31

Accommodation & Living

Pelotas

$166 21.9%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 67.6% $112

Eating Out

Pelotas

$118 15.5%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 36.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pelotas

$106 13.9%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 26.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Pelotas

$93 12.3%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 34.3% $32

Getting Around

Pelotas

$63 8.3%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 26.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Pelotas

$30 3.9%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 67.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $237 in Pelotas and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 83% 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: $18.00 in Pelotas vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $214 per month, with Pelotas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Pelotas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,685

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

Pelotas Brasilia 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pelotas
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

Pelotas vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pelotas and Brasilia differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($759 vs $1,008 including rent). Pelotas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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: $237 in Pelotas versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pelotas – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $759 per month in Pelotas versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $759 in Pelotas versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pelotas but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Pelotas 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 Pelotas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.