Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $821 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $821 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $821
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,819 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,819
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Sao Joao da Boa Vista costs roughly 18% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Joao da Boa Vista 39% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 R$28.07

$8.80 R$44.59

-37.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.20 R$118

$39.84 R$202

-41.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R$36.09

$8.26 R$41.87

-13.80%

Cappuccino

$1.97 R$10.00

$2.72 R$13.81

-27.57%

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

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.57 R$7.96

-21.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.77

$1.00 R$5.07

-6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.21

$2.33 R$11.81

-13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.34

$3.92 R$19.85

-47.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.09 R$5.53

-0.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 R$8.21

$2.07 R$10.52

-21.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.95

$1.36 R$6.87

-27.94%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.32

$2.43 R$12.33

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.64 R$59.0

-13.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 R$25.01

$4.07 R$20.62

21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 R$51.3

$8.80 R$44.60

15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.49 R$12.64

-21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.48 R$7.48

-17.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.34 R$6.79

-26.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.63 R$8.29

-0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.23 R$6.25

-34.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 R$3.85

$1.04 R$5.27

-26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.24

$0.86 R$4.34

-2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.99

$0.95 R$4.80

-16.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.45

$2.52 R$12.77

-2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 R$31.22

$8.39 R$42.54

-26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.99

$1.31 R$6.65

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 R$9.76

$2.41 R$12.23

-19.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.74

$1.01 R$5.13

-7.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.70 R$222

$35.30 R$179

23.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R$8.08

$1.10 R$5.58

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 R$8.04

$0.93 R$4.73

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.88 R$39.94

$6.17 R$31.25

27.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.29 R$6.54

-20.16%

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

$19.9K R$100.9K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-15.08%

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

$33.1K R$167.9K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-1.74%

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

$95.4 R$484

$96.3 R$488

-0.96%

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

$10.11 R$51.2

$12.59 R$63.8

-19.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 R$103

$22.58 R$114

-9.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.42 R$144

$33.65 R$171

-15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 R$141

$27.87 R$141

-0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 R$27.66

$7.78 R$39.43

-29.82%

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

$283 R$1,434

$815 R$4,133

-65.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K R$51.3K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-41.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 R$278

$55.4 R$281

-1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.51 R$190

$44.23 R$224

-15.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.0 R$269

$85.0 R$431

-37.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 R$303

$87.8 R$445

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,794

$494 R$2,506

-28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 R$1,019

$282 R$1,427

-28.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,359

$1,127 R$5,711

-41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 R$2,375

$593 R$3,004

-20.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,729 R$8,765

$2,522 R$12.8K

-31.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 R$6,156

$1,753 R$8,885

-30.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 R$3,396

$850 R$4,310

-21.22%

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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$201 24.5%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 40% $80

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$194 23.6%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 9.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$126 15.3%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 4.5% $5.7

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$112 13.7%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 40.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 32.9% $30

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 6.9%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 20.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$39 4.8%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 25.1% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 27% 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: $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $212 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,547

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

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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Brasilia 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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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 Joao da Boa Vista vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Brasilia differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($821 vs $1,000 including rent). Sao Joao da Boa Vista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $354 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $821 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $821 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Boa Vista but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.