Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $1,000 a month against $1,150 in Santos, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,150 in Santos versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Santos $1,150
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,736 in Santos versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Santos $1,736
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,322 in Santos versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Santos $2,322
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Santos is roughly 15% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santos 15% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 R$41.18

$8.80 R$44.59

-7.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 R$161

$39.84 R$202

-20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 R$36.19

$8.26 R$41.87

-13.56%

Cappuccino

$2.75 R$13.96

$2.72 R$13.81

1.10%

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

$1.43 R$7.24

$1.57 R$7.96

-8.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$1.00 R$5.07

-8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R$12.76

$2.33 R$11.81

8.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$14.79

$3.92 R$19.85

-25.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.09 R$5.53

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.07 R$10.52

-10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.36 R$6.87

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.43 R$12.33

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 R$61.6

$11.64 R$59.0

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R$24.63

$4.07 R$20.62

19.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 R$50.2

$8.80 R$44.60

12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.69

$2.49 R$12.64

-15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.48 R$7.48

-16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.07

$1.34 R$6.79

48.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.63 R$8.29

13.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.23 R$6.25

9.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.04 R$5.27

24.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$5.87

$0.86 R$4.34

34.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.89

$2.52 R$12.77

-6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.46

$8.39 R$42.54

-4.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.31 R$6.65

1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$9.83

$2.41 R$12.23

-19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.66

$1.01 R$5.13

10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.37 R$250

$35.30 R$179

39.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 R$7.89

$1.10 R$5.58

41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 R$8.16

$0.93 R$4.73

73.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 R$90.2

$6.17 R$31.25

188.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.31

$1.29 R$6.54

-3.88%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$23.4K R$118.8K

1.23%

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

$33.5K R$169.6K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-0.72%

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

$104 R$529

$96.3 R$488

8.27%

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

$11.95 R$60.6

$12.59 R$63.8

-5.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 R$111

$22.58 R$114

-3.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$147

$33.65 R$171

-13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.0 R$289

$27.87 R$141

104.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 R$43.55

$7.78 R$39.43

10.41%

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

$280 R$1,418

$815 R$4,133

-65.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$52.0K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-40.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$55.4 R$281

0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 R$186

$44.23 R$224

-17.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$485

$85.0 R$431

12.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$307

$87.8 R$445

-30.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,754

$494 R$2,506

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,148

$282 R$1,427

50.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,031

$1,127 R$5,711

-11.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,478

$593 R$3,004

15.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,413 R$12.2K

$2,522 R$12.8K

-4.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 R$9,004

$1,753 R$8,885

1.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 R$2,958

$850 R$4,310

-31.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

12.12

5.53%

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

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santos

$424 36.9%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 33.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$219 19.1%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 3.4% $7.4

Eating Out

Santos

$147 12.8%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$138 12%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 4.8% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$112 9.7%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 9.6% $11

Getting Around

Santos

$63 5.5%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 28.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$46 4%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 6.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Santos and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Santos vs $40.00 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $212, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

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

Santos Brasilia 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

Santos vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos and Brasilia differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,150 vs $1,000 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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: $543 in Santos versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $32.00 in Santos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,150 per month in Santos versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,000 in Brasilia versus $1,150 in Santos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Santos. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Santos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.