Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Brasilia Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Brasilia

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Carlos is 1.6% cheaper than Brasilia without rent, and 8.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sao Carlos is 13.5% cheaper than Brasilia without rent, and 5.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.6 R$25.55
$7.16 R$39.75
-35.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.65 R$181
$38.94 R$216
-16.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.78 R$37.65
$6.16 R$34.21
10.06%
Cappuccino
$1.74 R$9.68
$1.87 R$10.4
-6.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$6.42
$1.22 R$6.79
-4.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.83 R$4.59
-24.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 R$8.16
$1.84 R$10.22
-20.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 R$16.78
$3.28 R$18.2
-7.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 R$6.04
$0.93 R$5.15
17.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 R$8.42
$1.67 R$9.3
-8.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 R$14.24
$1.41 R$7.84
82.27%
Eggs
$2.23 R$12.37
$2.01 R$11.13
10.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 R$53
$9.03 R$50.2
5.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.17 R$23.13
$3.43 R$19.04
21.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 R$42.96
$6.8 R$37.72
13.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 R$12.94
$2.03 R$11.27
14.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.38
$1.37 R$7.58
10.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$1.17 R$6.48
30.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 R$11.04
$1.6 R$8.89
24.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$1.29 R$7.15
18.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.87
$1.24 R$6.86
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.9 R$4.98
$0.8 R$4.45
12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.32
$0.62 R$3.47
25.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.1 R$11.63
$2.22 R$12.34
-5.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.24 R$40.17
$9.59 R$53.3
-24.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 R$7.07
$1.08 R$5.98
17.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 R$14.01
$2.28 R$12.67
10.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 R$5.17
$0.96 R$5.33
-3.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.89 R$121
$43.84 R$243
-50.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.31 R$7.29
$1.01 R$5.61
29.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 R$5.34
$0.74 R$4.08
29.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 R$18.39
$5.59 R$31.03
-40.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 R$5.76
$1.14 R$6.33
-8.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K R$161.3K
$25.6K R$142K
13.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K R$162.2K
$29.2K R$162.1K
0.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.1 R$395
$70.7 R$392
0.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.76 R$81.9
$12.98 R$72.1
13.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 R$103
$20.23 R$112
-8.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.55 R$114
$25.28 R$140
-18.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.92 R$222
$21.29 R$118
87.51%
Cinema Ticket
$4.22 R$23.42
$7.09 R$39.35
-40.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R$1,707
$476 R$2,645
-35.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,678 R$14.9K
$15.2K R$84.3K
-82.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.58 R$259
$59.5 R$330
-21.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.53 R$203
$41.56 R$231
-12.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 R$560
$70.1 R$389
44.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 R$503
$64.5 R$358
40.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$219 R$1,218
$414 R$2,300
-47.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 R$1,202
$260 R$1,442
-16.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$439 R$2,437
$964 R$5,351
-54.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$486 R$2,696
$565 R$3,134
-13.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$693 R$3,845
$2,598 R$14.4K
-73.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$850 R$4,718
$1,638 R$9,090
-48.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Carlos
Brasilia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$828 R$4,594
$524 R$2,910
57.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
11.87
-10.11%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

Last update for Brasilia: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.