Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio das Ostras and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $720 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
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Rio das Ostras Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$720

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $720 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Rio das Ostras $720
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,206 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Rio das Ostras $1,206
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Rio das Ostras versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Rio das Ostras $1,693
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Rio das Ostras costs roughly 28% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio das Ostras 47% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 R$30.99

$8.80 R$44.59

-30.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 R$152

$39.84 R$202

-24.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.02

$8.26 R$41.87

-16.34%

Cappuccino

$1.77 R$8.99

$2.72 R$13.81

-34.93%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.57 R$7.96

-15.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$1.00 R$5.07

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$2.33 R$11.81

-48.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 R$15.37

$3.92 R$19.85

-22.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.84

$1.09 R$5.53

-12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$2.07 R$10.52

-24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.36 R$6.87

-8.09%

Eggs

$1.95 R$9.88

$2.43 R$12.33

-19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 R$40.76

$11.64 R$59.0

-30.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 R$17.68

$4.07 R$20.62

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 R$43.40

$8.80 R$44.60

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.49 R$12.64

-21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$1.48 R$7.48

-18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.74

$1.34 R$6.79

-30.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.63 R$8.29

-22.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 R$3.59

$1.23 R$6.25

-42.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.04 R$5.27

-22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.91

$0.86 R$4.34

-33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.67

$0.95 R$4.80

-24.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.27 R$11.53

$2.52 R$12.77

-9.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 R$46.51

$8.39 R$42.54

9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 R$10.69

$1.31 R$6.65

61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 R$7.28

$2.41 R$12.23

-40.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.18

$1.01 R$5.13

0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.98 R$223

$35.30 R$179

24.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.10 R$5.58

24.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.93 R$4.73

-18.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 R$40.63

$6.17 R$31.25

29.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.93

$1.29 R$6.54

-9.30%

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

$21.1K R$106.8K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-10.08%

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

$31.3K R$158.8K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-7.04%

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

$69.9 R$354

$96.3 R$488

-27.45%

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

$10.00 R$50.7

$12.59 R$63.8

-20.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.83 R$95.5

$22.58 R$114

-16.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.61 R$120

$33.65 R$171

-29.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.53 R$140

$27.87 R$141

-1.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 R$34.23

$7.78 R$39.43

-13.24%

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

$327 R$1,658

$815 R$4,133

-59.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,611 R$38.6K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-55.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 R$287

$55.4 R$281

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.31 R$144

$44.23 R$224

-35.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 R$338

$85.0 R$431

-21.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.51 R$246

$87.8 R$445

-44.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 R$1,004

$494 R$2,506

-59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 R$766

$282 R$1,427

-46.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,682

$1,127 R$5,711

-53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 R$2,029

$593 R$3,004

-32.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,730 R$8,770

$2,522 R$12.8K

-31.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 R$6,198

$1,753 R$8,885

-30.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 R$2,748

$850 R$4,310

-36.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

-17.49%

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

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rio das Ostras

$179 24.8%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 18.6% $33

Accommodation & Living

Rio das Ostras

$151 21%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 86.2% $130

Eating Out

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.4%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 42.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio das Ostras

$99 13.7%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 33.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.5%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 36.1% $33

Getting Around

Rio das Ostras

$53 7.4%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 15.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 32.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $198 in Rio das Ostras and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 57% 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: $30.00 in Rio das Ostras vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $212 per month, with Rio das Ostras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

Same time as Rio das Ostras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,491

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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Rio das Ostras Brasilia 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Rio das Ostras
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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 das Ostras vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio das Ostras and Brasilia differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($720 vs $1,000 including rent). Rio das Ostras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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: $198 in Rio das Ostras versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio das Ostras – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $720 per month in Rio das Ostras versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $720 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio das Ostras but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Rio das Ostras 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 Rio das Ostras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.