Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $743 a month against $1,062 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index

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Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Maria and in Curitiba

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 Curitiba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $743 in Santa Maria versus $1,062 in Curitiba.

Santa Maria $743
Curitiba $1,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,242 in Santa Maria versus $1,656 in Curitiba.

Santa Maria $1,242
Curitiba $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,742 in Santa Maria versus $2,249 in Curitiba.

Santa Maria $1,742
Curitiba $2,249

Living in Santa Maria costs roughly 30% less than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Maria 45% lower, Curitiba 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 R$27.65

$8.11 R$41.13

-32.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 R$186

$40.21 R$204

-8.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.57

$9.12 R$46.23

-25.22%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.36

$2.81 R$14.24

-34.16%

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

$1.07 R$5.40

$1.15 R$5.85

-6.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.46

$0.89 R$4.49

-23.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.29

$2.76 R$13.98

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.55

$3.89 R$19.74

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.11 R$5.62

-6.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.31

$1.93 R$9.77

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$1.41 R$7.12

-23.40%

Eggs

$2.10 R$10.64

$2.49 R$12.63

-15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 R$47.80

$10.34 R$52.4

-8.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 R$20.07

$5.02 R$25.42

-21.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 R$41.58

$10.68 R$54.1

-23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 R$12.57

$1.81 R$9.15

37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 R$7.61

$1.11 R$5.64

35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.05 R$5.30

29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.75

$1.34 R$6.81

14.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.83 R$4.19

39.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$0.75 R$3.81

50.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.78 R$3.96

10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.86 R$4.34

-5.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.07

$3.04 R$15.40

-21.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.44

$7.47 R$37.88

9.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.77

$1.37 R$6.96

-16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R$11.09

$2.51 R$12.71

-12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.18 R$5.98

-14.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 R$155

$71.8 R$364

-57.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.70

$1.31 R$6.66

0.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.39

$0.82 R$4.14

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 R$41.36

$6.19 R$31.39

31.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.31 R$6.66

-6.11%

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

$23.9K R$121.2K

$23.5K R$119.1K

1.75%

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

$32.6K R$165.3K

$32.9K R$166.9K

-1.00%

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

$53.4 R$271

$102 R$518

-47.72%

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

$12.65 R$64.1

$15.08 R$76.5

-16.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.66 R$84.5

$23.12 R$117

-27.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.82 R$121

$28.90 R$147

-17.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R$61.1

$20.29 R$103

-40.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$28.68

$7.72 R$39.13

-26.68%

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

$163 R$828

$382 R$1,934

-57.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 R$15.5K

$11.3K R$57.5K

-73.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$260

$58.1 R$294

-11.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 R$220

$56.5 R$287

-23.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 R$486

$97.3 R$493

-1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.3 R$316

$81.9 R$415

-23.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,486

$522 R$2,649

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 R$870

$303 R$1,535

-43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 R$3,285

$835 R$4,233

-22.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,982

$543 R$2,751

-27.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 R$10.3K

$2,485 R$12.6K

-18.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 R$3,416

$1,793 R$9,087

-62.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 R$3,227

$707 R$3,585

-9.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

-13.34%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$192 25.9%

Curitiba

$205 19.3% 6.7% $13

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$172 23.1%

Curitiba

$303 28.5% 76.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.3%

Curitiba

$132 12.5% 16.2% $18

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$108 14.5%

Curitiba

$156 14.7% 44.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$83 11.1%

Curitiba

$140 13.2% 69.7% $58

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$40 5.4%

Curitiba

$82 7.7% 104% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$35 4.7%

Curitiba

$44 4.2% 26.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $293 in Santa Maria and $522 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 11% 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: $37.00 in Santa Maria vs $40.00 in Curitiba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $205 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

Same time as Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

1,773,718

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Maria Curitiba 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Maria wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Maria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Curitiba. 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: $293 in Santa Maria versus $522 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Maria runs roughly 135% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $163 in Santa Maria versus $382 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $743 in Santa Maria versus $1,062 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Maria but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Maria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Maria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $743 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Maria hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Santa Maria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.