Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Carlos and in Brasilia: $982 and $1,000 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Sao Carlos $982
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,709 in Sao Carlos versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Sao Carlos $1,709
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,436 in Sao Carlos versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Sao Carlos $2,436
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Sao Carlos costs roughly 2% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Carlos 27% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 R$25.25

$8.80 R$44.59

-43.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.05 R$203

$39.84 R$202

0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 R$34.33

$8.26 R$41.87

-18.04%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R$10.74

$2.72 R$13.81

-22.06%

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

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.57 R$7.96

-14.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.98

$1.00 R$5.07

-21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.24

$2.33 R$11.81

-30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$14.36

$3.92 R$19.85

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.80

$1.09 R$5.53

22.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 R$9.96

$2.07 R$10.52

-5.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.36 R$6.87

30.88%

Eggs

$2.95 R$14.94

$2.43 R$12.33

21.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 R$63.3

$11.64 R$59.0

7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R$26.61

$4.07 R$20.62

28.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.72

$8.80 R$44.60

4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 R$13.72

$2.49 R$12.64

8.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.33

$1.48 R$7.48

24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.01

$1.34 R$6.79

32.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.95

$1.63 R$8.29

20.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.84

$1.23 R$6.25

41.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.88

$1.04 R$5.27

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 R$5.14

$0.86 R$4.34

17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.95 R$4.80

22.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R$16.18

$2.52 R$12.77

26.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 R$42.91

$8.39 R$42.54

0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.31 R$6.65

12.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 R$14.73

$2.41 R$12.23

20.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.01 R$5.13

-2.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.86 R$121

$35.30 R$179

-32.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.10 R$5.58

34.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 R$5.11

$0.93 R$4.73

8.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 R$18.45

$6.17 R$31.25

-41.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.32

$1.29 R$6.54

-3.10%

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

$20.2K R$102.2K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-14.01%

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

$31.5K R$159.5K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-6.66%

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

$62.4 R$316

$96.3 R$488

-35.25%

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

$13.74 R$69.6

$12.59 R$63.8

9.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 R$122

$22.58 R$114

6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.77 R$176

$33.65 R$171

3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.31 R$245

$27.87 R$141

73.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 R$27.29

$7.78 R$39.43

-30.85%

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

$302 R$1,531

$815 R$4,133

-62.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,032 R$15.4K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-82.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 R$429

$55.4 R$281

52.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$96.7 R$490

$44.23 R$224

118.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 R$705

$85.0 R$431

63.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 R$826

$87.8 R$445

85.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 R$1,377

$494 R$2,506

-45.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,197

$282 R$1,427

-16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$1,127 R$5,711

-40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,358

$593 R$3,004

11.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 R$4,303

$2,522 R$12.8K

-66.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 R$3,698

$1,753 R$8,885

-58.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$681 R$3,453

$850 R$4,310

-19.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

12.12

-11.30%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 12% $29

Accommodation & Living

Sao Carlos

$236 24%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 19.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 43.6% $95

Eating Out

Sao Carlos

$108 11%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 46.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 31.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 8.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 31.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $272 in Sao Carlos and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 25% 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: $40.00 in Sao Carlos vs $40.00 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $212, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Sao Carlos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

254,857

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

Sao Carlos Brasilia 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Carlos
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 Carlos vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Carlos and Brasilia differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($982 vs $1,000 including rent). Sao Carlos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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: $272 in Sao Carlos versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $982 per month in Sao Carlos versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $982 in Sao Carlos versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Carlos but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Carlos 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 Sao Carlos 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.