Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Andre and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Santo Andre and in Brasilia: $984 and $1,000 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Santo Andre
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Santo Andre Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Santo Andre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$984

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Santo Andre $984
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,590 in Santo Andre versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Santo Andre $1,590
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,196 in Santo Andre versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Santo Andre $2,196
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Santo Andre costs roughly 2% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Andre 27% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.19 R$46.61

$8.80 R$44.59

4.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 R$254

$39.84 R$202

25.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 R$43.92

$8.26 R$41.87

4.84%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R$12.35

$2.72 R$13.81

-10.29%

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

$1.37 R$6.92

$1.57 R$7.96

-12.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.00 R$5.07

-5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 R$11.74

$2.33 R$11.81

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 R$19.84

$3.92 R$19.85

-0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.08

$1.09 R$5.53

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$2.07 R$10.52

-13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.97

$1.36 R$6.87

0.74%

Eggs

$2.50 R$12.68

$2.43 R$12.33

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 R$53.8

$11.64 R$59.0

-8.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 R$23.82

$4.07 R$20.62

15.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 R$54.0

$8.80 R$44.60

21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$11.55

$2.49 R$12.64

-8.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.33

$1.48 R$7.48

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.34 R$6.79

14.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.33

$1.63 R$8.29

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.23 R$6.25

3.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.04 R$5.27

18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R$5.01

$0.86 R$4.34

15.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 R$4.28

$0.95 R$4.80

-11.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$2.52 R$12.77

-3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 R$41.59

$8.39 R$42.54

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R$7.82

$1.31 R$6.65

17.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.41 R$12.23

3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.02

$1.01 R$5.13

-1.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.01 R$137

$35.30 R$179

-23.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.11

$1.10 R$5.58

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.17

$0.93 R$4.73

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 R$41.99

$6.17 R$31.25

34.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.29 R$6.54

3.10%

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

$22.9K R$115.9K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-2.43%

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

$33.2K R$168.2K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-1.55%

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

$65.5 R$332

$96.3 R$488

-31.96%

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

$14.49 R$73.5

$12.59 R$63.8

15.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$22.58 R$114

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.10 R$127

$33.65 R$171

-25.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.72 R$141

$27.87 R$141

-0.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 R$40.60

$7.78 R$39.43

2.96%

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

$551 R$2,794

$815 R$4,133

-32.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K R$83.6K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$55.4 R$281

14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 R$289

$44.23 R$224

28.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 R$448

$85.0 R$431

3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 R$401

$87.8 R$445

-9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 R$2,030

$494 R$2,506

-18.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,524

$282 R$1,427

6.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,359

$1,127 R$5,711

-41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$541 R$2,741

$593 R$3,004

-8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,711 R$8,673

$2,522 R$12.8K

-32.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 R$5,844

$1,753 R$8,885

-34.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 R$2,783

$850 R$4,310

-35.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

12.12

-10.81%

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

Last update for Santo Andre: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Andre

$301 30.6%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 6.4% $19

Groceries & Markets

Santo Andre

$216 21.9%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 1.7% $3.8

Eating Out

Santo Andre

$157 16%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Andre

$130 13.2%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 5.4% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Andre

$102 10.4%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 28.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Andre

$41 4.2%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 19.7% $8.1

Getting Around

Santo Andre

$37 3.8%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 21% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $400 in Santo Andre and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 53% 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: $50.0 in Santo Andre vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $214 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santo Andre

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

Same time as Santo Andre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

748,919

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

Santo Andre Brasilia 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santo Andre
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

Santo Andre vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Andre and Brasilia differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($984 vs $1,008 including rent). Santo Andre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $400 in Santo Andre versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Andre – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $984 per month in Santo Andre versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santo Andre but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Andre 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 Santo Andre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.