Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petropolis and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $945 in Petropolis, rent and utilities included – about $350 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petropolis outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Petropolis
Learn more

Petropolis Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
Learn more

Brasilia Living Index

Jump to prices

Petropolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$945

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $945 in Petropolis versus $916 in Brasilia.

Petropolis $945
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Petropolis versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Petropolis $1,417
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,888 in Petropolis versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Petropolis $1,888
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Petropolis is roughly 3% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petropolis 31% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.72 R$30.78

$8.44 R$45.41

-32.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.56 R$143

$36.71 R$198

-27.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 R$34.84

$7.98 R$42.96

-18.92%

Cappuccino

$1.64 R$8.85

$2.53 R$13.59

-35.18%

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

$1.29 R$6.94

$1.42 R$7.64

-9.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$3.07

$1.00 R$5.39

-43.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 R$5.89

$2.20 R$11.83

-50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 R$22.61

$3.76 R$20.21

11.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R$4.79

$1.02 R$5.49

-12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.89

$1.95 R$10.51

-24.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.17

$1.24 R$6.68

7.26%

Eggs

$1.89 R$10.20

$2.27 R$12.24

-16.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 R$46.04

$11.17 R$60.1

-23.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 R$20.72

$3.86 R$20.79

-0.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.16 R$49.29

$8.58 R$46.16

6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.66

$2.31 R$12.41

-30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.73

$1.38 R$7.42

-23.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 R$4.54

$1.26 R$6.77

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.33

$1.52 R$8.18

-22.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.47

$1.11 R$5.98

-42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 R$3.99

$0.98 R$5.25

-24.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 R$2.66

$0.76 R$4.07

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$3.05

$0.93 R$5.03

-38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 R$10.75

$2.36 R$12.72

-15.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 R$29.51

$7.67 R$41.27

-28.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$5.29

$1.24 R$6.67

-20.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.83

$2.36 R$12.68

-46.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.55

$0.73 R$3.92

41.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.23 R$249

$29.76 R$160

55.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.72

$1.01 R$5.46

4.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.78

$0.86 R$4.62

3.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 R$39.64

$5.77 R$31.06

27.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.21

$1.25 R$6.71

-8.00%

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

$19.7K R$105.9K

$22.0K R$118.1K

-10.40%

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

$29.5K R$159.0K

$31.9K R$171.4K

-7.25%

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

$67.4 R$363

$92.1 R$496

-26.81%

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

$9.36 R$50.4

$11.85 R$63.8

-21.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.93 R$96.5

$20.93 R$113

-14.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.74 R$165

$30.47 R$164

0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.15 R$157

$26.29 R$141

10.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 R$34.12

$7.46 R$40.17

-15.01%

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

$344 R$1,853

$764 R$4,114

-54.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,986 R$53.7K

$15.7K R$84.6K

-36.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$284

$52.6 R$283

0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 R$254

$42.10 R$227

12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 R$451

$79.4 R$427

5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 R$347

$83.6 R$450

-22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 R$2,620

$517 R$2,783

-5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,993

$242 R$1,300

53.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 R$4,353

$1,156 R$6,223

-30.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$582 R$3,133

$580 R$3,119

0.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,562 R$13.8K

$2,398 R$12.9K

6.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 R$10.3K

$1,678 R$9,030

13.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$574 R$3,088

$784 R$4,221

-26.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.87

12.12

-2.06%

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

Last update for Petropolis: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petropolis

$370 39.2%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 34.8% $129

Groceries & Markets

Petropolis

$163 17.3%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 22.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Petropolis

$112 11.8%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 3.8% $4.2

Eating Out

Petropolis

$106 11.2%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 41.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petropolis

$95 10%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 31.9% $30

Getting Around

Petropolis

$56 5.9%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 32% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Petropolis

$43 4.6%

Brasilia

$45 5% 4.6% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $487 in Petropolis and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Petropolis vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $201 per month, with Petropolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petropolis

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

Same time as Petropolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,881

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petropolis Brasilia 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Petropolis
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

Petropolis vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $945 in Petropolis and $916 in Brasilia, so Brasilia is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Petropolis. 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: $487 in Petropolis versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Petropolis – a meal for two runs $27 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $945 per month in Petropolis versus $916 in Brasilia – Brasilia is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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