Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Branco and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $847 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$847

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Rio Branco versus $916 in Brasilia.

Rio Branco $847
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Rio Branco versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Rio Branco $1,331
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,815 in Rio Branco versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Rio Branco $1,815
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Rio Branco costs roughly 8% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio Branco 38% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.68 R$35.74

$8.44 R$45.11

-20.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.63 R$132

$36.71 R$196

-32.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 R$38.29

$7.98 R$42.68

-10.28%

Cappuccino

$2.82 R$15.10

$2.53 R$13.50

11.46%

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

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.42 R$7.59

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.83

$1.00 R$5.36

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 R$10.18

$2.20 R$11.76

-13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.71

$3.76 R$20.08

-26.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.28

$1.02 R$5.45

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 R$8.24

$1.95 R$10.45

-21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.20

$1.24 R$6.63

-6.45%

Eggs

$1.99 R$10.64

$2.27 R$12.16

-12.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 R$46.34

$11.17 R$59.7

-22.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.81

$3.86 R$20.66

5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 R$42.17

$8.58 R$45.86

-8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R$11.01

$2.31 R$12.33

-10.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.38 R$7.37

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.26 R$6.72

-13.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.78

$1.52 R$8.13

-3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.05

$1.11 R$5.94

1.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.39

$0.98 R$5.22

3.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.11

$0.76 R$4.04

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.06

$0.93 R$4.99

-18.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.20

$2.36 R$12.64

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 R$39.02

$7.67 R$41.00

-4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.54

$1.24 R$6.63

-16.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R$10.25

$2.36 R$12.59

-18.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 R$3.36

$0.73 R$3.90

-13.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 R$226

$29.76 R$159

41.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.62

$1.01 R$5.42

22.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.53

$0.86 R$4.59

-1.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 R$40.34

$5.77 R$30.86

30.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.25 R$6.67

2.40%

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

$22.0K R$117.8K

$22.0K R$117.4K

0.33%

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

$31.5K R$168.4K

$31.9K R$170.3K

-1.12%

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

$72.1 R$385

$92.1 R$493

-21.75%

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

$11.32 R$60.6

$11.85 R$63.3

-4.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.70 R$105

$20.93 R$112

-5.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 R$131

$30.47 R$163

-19.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.43 R$136

$26.29 R$141

-3.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 R$35.29

$7.46 R$39.91

-11.53%

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

$264 R$1,410

$764 R$4,087

-65.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,146 R$32.9K

$15.7K R$84.1K

-60.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R$273

$52.6 R$281

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.00 R$246

$42.10 R$225

9.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$454

$79.4 R$425

7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 R$357

$83.6 R$447

-20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 R$1,831

$517 R$2,765

-33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,248

$242 R$1,291

-3.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 R$3,332

$1,156 R$6,183

-46.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 R$2,420

$580 R$3,099

-21.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$8,351

$2,398 R$12.8K

-34.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 R$8,288

$1,678 R$8,972

-7.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 R$1,271

$784 R$4,194

-69.69%

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 Rio Branco: 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

Rio Branco

$233 27.6%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 3.4% $8

Groceries & Markets

Rio Branco

$178 21.1%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 12.4% $22

Eating Out

Rio Branco

$132 15.6%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 13.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Branco

$112 13.2%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 3.6% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Branco

$103 12.2%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 21.1% $22

Getting Around

Rio Branco

$50 5.9%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 24.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Branco

$38 4.5%

Brasilia

$45 5% 20.1% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Rio Branco and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Rio Branco vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $201 per month, with Rio Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

2 h ahead of Rio Branco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,756

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio Branco Brasilia 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio Branco
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

Rio Branco vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $847 in Rio Branco and $916 in Brasilia, so Rio Branco is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Rio Branco. 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: $343 in Rio Branco versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio Branco – a meal for two runs $25 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $847 per month in Rio Branco versus $916 in Brasilia – Rio Branco is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rio Branco wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.