Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $732 in Santa Maria versus $916 in Brasilia.

Santa Maria $732
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,224 in Santa Maria versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Santa Maria $1,224
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,715 in Santa Maria versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Santa Maria $1,715
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Santa Maria costs roughly 20% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Maria 46% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.61 R$30.22

$8.44 R$45.41

-33.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.42 R$180

$36.71 R$198

-8.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 R$34.77

$7.98 R$42.96

-19.05%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$9.16

$2.53 R$13.59

-32.81%

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

$1.03 R$5.54

$1.42 R$7.64

-27.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.31

$1.00 R$5.39

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 R$8.11

$2.20 R$11.83

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 R$22.92

$3.76 R$20.21

13.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.47

$1.02 R$5.49

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 R$7.94

$1.95 R$10.51

-24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.64

$1.24 R$6.68

14.52%

Eggs

$1.74 R$9.39

$2.27 R$12.24

-23.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 R$46.00

$11.17 R$60.1

-23.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 R$19.95

$3.86 R$20.79

-3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 R$42.06

$8.58 R$46.16

-8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.18

$2.31 R$12.41

-2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.43

$1.38 R$7.42

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 R$10.83

$1.26 R$6.77

59.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.40

$1.52 R$8.18

-9.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.08

$1.11 R$5.98

1.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.90

$0.98 R$5.25

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R$4.68

$0.76 R$4.07

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.41

$0.93 R$5.03

-11.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 R$11.85

$2.36 R$12.72

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 R$40.79

$7.67 R$41.27

-1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R$6.50

$1.24 R$6.67

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.83

$2.36 R$12.68

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.57

$0.73 R$3.92

67.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.50 R$229

$29.76 R$160

42.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.34

$1.01 R$5.46

16.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.24

$0.86 R$4.62

-8.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R$41.53

$5.77 R$31.06

33.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$6.30

$1.25 R$6.71

-6.40%

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

$22.9K R$123.4K

$22.0K R$118.1K

4.45%

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

$30.0K R$161.7K

$31.9K R$171.4K

-5.66%

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

$51.1 R$275

$92.1 R$496

-44.51%

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

$15.89 R$85.5

$11.85 R$63.8

34.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.02 R$91.6

$20.93 R$113

-18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.47 R$121

$30.47 R$164

-26.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.14 R$60.0

$26.29 R$141

-57.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 R$29.39

$7.46 R$40.17

-26.81%

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

$147 R$790

$764 R$4,114

-80.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,764 R$14.9K

$15.7K R$84.6K

-82.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 R$318

$52.6 R$283

12.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.62 R$224

$42.10 R$227

-1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$499

$79.4 R$427

16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 R$323

$83.6 R$450

-28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,517

$517 R$2,783

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 R$835

$242 R$1,300

-35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 R$3,270

$1,156 R$6,223

-47.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,991

$580 R$3,119

-36.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,633 R$8,787

$2,398 R$12.9K

-31.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$677 R$3,646

$1,678 R$9,030

-59.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 R$3,179

$784 R$4,221

-24.69%

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 Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$186 25.4%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$155 21.2%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 55.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.6%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 1.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$107 14.7%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 39.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$84 11.5%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 48.6% $41

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$53 7.2%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 27.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$33 4.6%

Brasilia

$45 5% 36% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Santa Maria and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $33 in Santa Maria vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $201 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Maria Brasilia 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
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

Santa Maria vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $732 in Santa Maria and $916 in Brasilia, so Santa Maria is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Santa Maria. 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: $282 in Santa Maria versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Maria – a meal for two runs $33 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $732 per month in Santa Maria versus $916 in Brasilia – Santa Maria is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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