Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salvador and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Salvador and in Brasilia: $977 and $1,008 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
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Salvador Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Salvador versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Salvador $977
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,501 in Salvador versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Salvador $1,501
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,024 in Salvador versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Salvador $2,024
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Salvador costs roughly 3% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Salvador 28% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.31 R$42.12

$9.23 R$46.81

-9.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.15 R$183

$39.99 R$203

-9.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 R$40.06

$8.44 R$42.79

-6.40%

Cappuccino

$2.59 R$13.15

$2.62 R$13.29

-1.15%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.52 R$7.70

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.91 R$4.63

-3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 R$12.84

$2.43 R$12.30

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 R$20.40

$3.99 R$20.23

0.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.10 R$5.57

29.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.07 R$10.47

-26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.38

$1.36 R$6.90

-7.35%

Eggs

$2.11 R$10.70

$2.46 R$12.47

-14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 R$47.86

$12.06 R$61.1

-21.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.98

$4.00 R$20.29

13.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 R$35.90

$9.09 R$46.06

-22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R$10.93

$2.43 R$12.33

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.86

$1.53 R$7.76

1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.94

$1.33 R$6.73

-12.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.73 R$8.76

-20.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.55

$1.17 R$5.95

-6.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.75

$1.04 R$5.28

27.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.03

$0.83 R$4.20

-4.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 R$5.65

$0.99 R$5.03

12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$2.43 R$12.34

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$8.26 R$41.86

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.28 R$6.50

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.32

$2.48 R$12.58

-17.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.03 R$5.23

17.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 R$303

$36.05 R$183

65.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 R$8.46

$1.05 R$5.32

59.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 R$6.02

$0.91 R$4.63

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 R$49.63

$6.31 R$31.99

55.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.28 R$6.51

4.69%

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

$23.4K R$118.5K

$24.2K R$122.5K

-3.22%

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

$33.3K R$168.8K

$33.3K R$169.0K

-0.09%

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

$94.2 R$478

$98.4 R$499

-4.29%

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

$9.72 R$49.30

$12.88 R$65.3

-24.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 R$88.6

$22.35 R$113

-21.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.01 R$132

$34.14 R$173

-23.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 R$90.1

$28.34 R$144

-37.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.01

$7.78 R$39.45

-3.60%

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

$373 R$1,890

$834 R$4,230

-55.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K R$78.9K

$17.3K R$87.9K

-10.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R$298

$56.8 R$288

3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 R$180

$45.40 R$230

-21.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 R$452

$85.5 R$433

4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R$421

$90.5 R$459

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R$2,669

$507 R$2,572

3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R$1,416

$279 R$1,412

0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 R$4,810

$1,123 R$5,693

-15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 R$2,310

$568 R$2,881

-19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,145 R$10.9K

$2,518 R$12.8K

-14.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 R$6,956

$1,744 R$8,840

-21.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 R$2,010

$841 R$4,263

-52.84%

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 Salvador: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salvador

$279 28.6%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 0.3% $0.8

Groceries & Markets

Salvador

$192 19.7%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 11.6% $22

Eating Out

Salvador

$151 15.4%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 6.4% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salvador

$121 12.4%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 10.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Salvador

$120 12.3%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 4.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Salvador

$72 7.4%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 36.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Salvador

$41 4.2%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 21.2% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Salvador and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 112% 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: $36.00 in Salvador vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $214 per month, with Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Salvador

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

Same time as Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,417,678

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

Salvador Brasilia 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Salvador
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

Salvador vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salvador and Brasilia differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($977 vs $1,008 including rent). Salvador is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 112% 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: $526 in Salvador versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Salvador – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $977 per month in Salvador versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $977 in Salvador versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salvador but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.