Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $907 a month against $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$954

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $907 in Brasilia.

Sao Caetano do Sul $954
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,581
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,207 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,207
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Sao Caetano do Sul is roughly 5% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Caetano do Sul 29% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.18 R$45.05

$8.23 R$45.32

-0.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.81 R$203

$37.50 R$206

-1.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$45.33

$8.00 R$44.05

3.00%

Cappuccino

$2.21 R$12.15

$2.44 R$13.41

-9.43%

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

$1.28 R$7.02

$1.37 R$7.56

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.41

$0.97 R$5.35

-17.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R$11.83

$2.27 R$12.47

-5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$20.16

$3.58 R$19.73

2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.34

$0.94 R$5.18

22.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 R$9.80

$1.93 R$10.64

-7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.69

$1.22 R$6.70

14.75%

Eggs

$2.47 R$13.60

$2.25 R$12.37

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 R$53.9

$10.96 R$60.3

-10.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R$26.56

$3.68 R$20.27

31.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 R$55.1

$8.16 R$44.92

22.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 R$12.23

$2.28 R$12.55

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.81

$1.37 R$7.52

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.69

$1.24 R$6.83

12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.68

$1.50 R$8.23

5.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.17

$1.09 R$5.99

19.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.13

$1.02 R$5.64

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 R$4.91

$0.76 R$4.18

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$4.15

$0.94 R$5.18

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.31 R$12.72

$2.34 R$12.87

-1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 R$50.2

$7.68 R$42.27

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R$8.81

$1.24 R$6.80

29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 R$12.89

$2.22 R$12.24

5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 R$3.40

$0.77 R$4.25

-19.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 R$167

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.69

$1.20 R$6.60

-14.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R$4.99

$0.84 R$4.65

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.21 R$50.7

$7.22 R$39.75

27.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.85

$1.20 R$6.59

3.33%

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

$22.2K R$122.3K

$21.4K R$117.8K

3.85%

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

$31.8K R$174.9K

$31.7K R$174.2K

0.36%

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

$92.7 R$510

$87.9 R$484

5.46%

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

$13.62 R$75.0

$11.11 R$61.2

22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 R$117

$20.19 R$111

4.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.06 R$198

$30.40 R$167

18.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.28 R$233

$25.58 R$141

65.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 R$49.88

$7.23 R$39.79

25.31%

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

$435 R$2,393

$765 R$4,213

-43.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K R$56.7K

$16.6K R$91.6K

-38.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R$324

$53.1 R$292

11.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 R$289

$41.52 R$229

26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 R$515

$78.7 R$433

18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 R$473

$81.4 R$448

5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R$2,155

$508 R$2,794

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 R$1,532

$246 R$1,356

12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 R$5,070

$1,132 R$6,230

-18.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 R$3,576

$584 R$3,217

11.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 R$11.2K

$2,281 R$12.6K

-10.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,966

$1,623 R$8,934

0.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$836 R$4,602

$859 R$4,730

-2.71%

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: November 3, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$278 29.2%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 11.5% $32

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$212 22.2%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 7.6% $16

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$143 15%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 2.8% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$131 13.7%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 12.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$127 13.4%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 6.5% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$54 5.7%

Brasilia

$45 5% 17.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8 * 0.8%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 384% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $392 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $38 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $196, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul Brasilia 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano do Sul
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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $907 in Brasilia, so Brasilia is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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: $392 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $435 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $765 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – a meal for two runs $37 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Brasilia 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.