Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Praia Grande and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $778 in Praia Grande, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Praia Grande outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Praia Grande
Learn more

Praia Grande Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index

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Praia Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$778

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Praia Grande and in Santa Maria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Praia Grande and in Santa Maria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $778 in Praia Grande versus $732 in Santa Maria.

Praia Grande $778
Santa Maria $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,307 in Praia Grande versus $1,224 in Santa Maria.

Praia Grande $1,307
Santa Maria $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,835 in Praia Grande versus $1,715 in Santa Maria.

Praia Grande $1,835
Santa Maria $1,715

Living in Praia Grande is roughly 6% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Praia Grande 43% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 R$27.48

$5.61 R$30.54

-9.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.71 R$183

$33.42 R$182

0.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 R$39.07

$6.46 R$35.14

11.15%

Cappuccino

$1.81 R$9.86

$1.70 R$9.26

6.47%

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

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.03 R$5.60

14.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 R$3.03

$0.62 R$3.35

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 R$9.53

$1.51 R$8.20

15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 R$19.67

$4.26 R$23.16

-15.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.97

$1.02 R$5.53

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.81

$1.48 R$8.03

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 R$5.04

$1.42 R$7.72

-34.51%

Eggs

$1.72 R$9.33

$1.74 R$9.49

-1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 R$55.8

$8.55 R$46.50

20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.63 R$14.28

$3.71 R$20.17

-29.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.74 R$31.21

$7.82 R$42.52

-26.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 R$8.21

$2.26 R$12.31

-33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.95

$1.38 R$7.51

-21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.02

$2.01 R$10.95

-44.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.37 R$7.48

-13.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.66

$1.13 R$6.15

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.29

$1.28 R$6.98

-9.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.96

$0.87 R$4.73

-37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.17

$0.82 R$4.46

-6.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 R$11.48

$2.20 R$11.98

-4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 R$37.04

$7.58 R$41.23

-10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$5.13

$1.21 R$6.57

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R$13.04

$2.75 R$14.99

-12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 R$4.93

$1.22 R$6.65

-25.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.43 R$247

$42.50 R$231

6.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 R$5.54

$1.18 R$6.41

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 R$3.63

$0.79 R$4.28

-15.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R$42.70

$7.72 R$41.98

1.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.43

$1.17 R$6.36

0.85%

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

$21.9K R$119.3K

$22.9K R$124.7K

-4.36%

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

$29.5K R$160.3K

$30.0K R$163.5K

-1.93%

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

$61.0 R$332

$51.1 R$278

19.39%

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

$11.39 R$61.9

$15.89 R$86.4

-28.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.17 R$98.8

$17.02 R$92.6

6.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 R$166

$22.47 R$122

35.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 R$71.4

$11.14 R$60.6

17.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 R$40.15

$5.46 R$29.70

35.16%

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

$111 R$601

$147 R$799

-24.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,752 R$42.2K

$2,764 R$15.0K

180.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 R$329

$59.1 R$321

2.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.34 R$192

$41.62 R$226

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.1 R$305

$92.8 R$505

-39.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 R$394

$60.1 R$327

20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 R$2,200

$282 R$1,533

43.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 R$1,203

$155 R$844

42.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 R$4,025

$608 R$3,305

21.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 R$3,007

$370 R$2,013

49.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,414 R$7,693

$1,633 R$8,882

-13.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,692 R$25.5K

$677 R$3,685

592.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 R$2,219

$591 R$3,213

-30.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

8.10%

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

Last update for Praia Grande: October 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Praia Grande

$221 28.4%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 29.9% $66

Groceries & Markets

Praia Grande

$160 20.6%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 16% $26

Eating Out

Praia Grande

$107 13.7%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Praia Grande

$101 13%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 13% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Praia Grande

$91 11.6%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 7.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Praia Grande

$53 6.9%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 1.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Praia Grande

$45 5.8%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 26.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Praia Grande and $282 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Maria pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Praia Grande vs $33 in Santa Maria. Groceries flip the comparison at $160 vs $186, with Praia Grande cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Praia Grande

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

Same time as Praia Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,935

271,735

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Praia Grande Santa Maria 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Praia Grande
Santa Maria

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

Praia Grande vs Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $778 in Praia Grande and $732 in Santa Maria, so Santa Maria is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Praia Grande. 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: $404 in Praia Grande versus $282 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Praia Grande pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Maria – a meal for two runs $33 versus $34 in Praia Grande. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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