Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $924 a month against $1,008 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Brasilia despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$924

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Recife versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Recife $924
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Recife versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Recife $1,523
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,121 in Recife versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Recife $2,121
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Recife costs roughly 8% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Recife 32% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 R$27.99

$9.23 R$46.81

-40.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.47 R$195

$39.99 R$203

-3.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 R$50.4

$8.44 R$42.79

17.65%

Cappuccino

$2.58 R$13.08

$2.62 R$13.29

-1.53%

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

$1.10 R$5.56

$1.52 R$7.70

-27.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.21

$0.91 R$4.63

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 R$8.31

$2.43 R$12.30

-32.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 R$15.99

$3.99 R$20.23

-21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.10 R$5.57

25.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 R$8.63

$2.07 R$10.47

-17.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.51

$1.36 R$6.90

23.53%

Eggs

$1.91 R$9.68

$2.46 R$12.47

-22.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 R$36.01

$12.06 R$61.1

-41.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 R$23.73

$4.00 R$20.29

17.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.08 R$40.97

$9.09 R$46.06

-11.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.22

$2.43 R$12.33

-41.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.02

$1.53 R$7.76

-9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.11

$1.33 R$6.73

-39.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.73 R$8.76

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.17 R$5.95

26.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.04 R$5.28

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 R$2.65

$0.83 R$4.20

-37.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R$4.59

$0.99 R$5.03

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.76 R$8.94

$2.43 R$12.34

-27.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 R$41.80

$8.26 R$41.86

-0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.28 R$6.50

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 R$7.65

$2.48 R$12.58

-39.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.03 R$5.23

-14.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 R$193

$36.05 R$183

5.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.05 R$5.32

21.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$3.74

$0.91 R$4.63

-18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 R$18.42

$6.31 R$31.99

-42.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.28 R$6.51

6.25%

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

$23.7K R$120.1K

$24.2K R$122.5K

-1.91%

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

$33.2K R$168.2K

$33.3K R$169.0K

-0.47%

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

$117 R$596

$98.4 R$499

19.36%

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

$13.49 R$68.4

$12.88 R$65.3

4.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 R$88.8

$22.35 R$113

-21.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 R$110

$34.14 R$173

-36.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.68 R$176

$28.34 R$144

22.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.54 R$43.28

$7.78 R$39.45

9.77%

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

$282 R$1,432

$834 R$4,230

-66.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$60.9K

$17.3K R$87.9K

-30.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.34 R$235

$56.8 R$288

-18.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 R$259

$45.40 R$230

12.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 R$383

$85.5 R$433

-11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.6 R$413

$90.5 R$459

-9.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 R$2,578

$507 R$2,572

0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 R$1,345

$279 R$1,412

-4.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 R$4,495

$1,123 R$5,693

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 R$3,233

$568 R$2,881

12.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 R$10.2K

$2,518 R$12.8K

-20.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 R$5,425

$1,744 R$8,840

-38.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 R$2,214

$841 R$4,263

-48.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

12.12

-3.05%

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

Last update for Recife: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$265 28.7%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 5% $13

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$184 19.9%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 16.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$148 16.1%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 10% $15

Eating Out

Recife

$126 13.7%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 27% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$115 12.4%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 9.3% $11

Getting Around

Recife

$47 5%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 1.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$39 4.2%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 27.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Recife and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 93% 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: $38.00 in Recife vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $214 per month, with Recife cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

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

Recife Brasilia 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Recife
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

Recife vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recife and Brasilia differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($924 vs $1,008 including rent). Recife is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 93% 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: $509 in Recife versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Recife – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $924 per month in Recife versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $924 in Recife versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Recife but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Recife 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 Recife gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.