Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $825 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $825 in Serra versus $916 in Brasilia.

Serra $825
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Serra versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Serra $1,225
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,624 in Serra versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Serra $1,624
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Serra costs roughly 10% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Serra 39% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 R$25.04

$8.44 R$45.89

-45.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.69 R$118

$36.71 R$200

-40.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 R$41.30

$7.98 R$43.42

-4.89%

Cappuccino

$1.84 R$10.04

$2.53 R$13.74

-27.27%

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

$1.24 R$6.77

$1.42 R$7.72

-12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.93

$1.00 R$5.45

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 R$9.78

$2.20 R$11.96

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$15.39

$3.76 R$20.43

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.98

$1.02 R$5.54

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 R$9.45

$1.95 R$10.63

-10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.88

$1.24 R$6.75

-12.90%

Eggs

$2.05 R$11.14

$2.27 R$12.37

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 R$52.6

$11.17 R$60.8

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 R$23.22

$3.86 R$21.02

10.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 R$44.29

$8.58 R$46.66

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 R$14.43

$2.31 R$12.54

14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.76

$1.38 R$7.50

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.11

$1.26 R$6.84

32.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.26

$1.52 R$8.27

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.96

$1.11 R$6.05

-0.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$0.98 R$5.31

2.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R$6.41

$0.76 R$4.11

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.66

$0.93 R$5.08

31.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.75

$2.36 R$12.86

-0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.31 R$28.89

$7.67 R$41.71

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$5.19

$1.24 R$6.75

-23.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R$16.85

$2.36 R$12.81

31.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 R$4.58

$0.73 R$3.96

15.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.26 R$241

$29.76 R$162

48.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.64

$1.01 R$5.52

20.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 R$5.70

$0.86 R$4.67

22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 R$40.09

$5.77 R$31.40

27.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.72

$1.25 R$6.79

-16.00%

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

$22.0K R$119.9K

$22.0K R$119.4K

0.40%

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

$31.5K R$171.6K

$31.9K R$173.3K

-0.96%

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

$147 R$800

$92.1 R$501

59.55%

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

$11.59 R$63.1

$11.85 R$64.4

-2.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 R$107

$20.93 R$114

-5.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 R$131

$30.47 R$166

-20.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 R$139

$26.29 R$143

-2.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 R$35.95

$7.46 R$40.61

-11.39%

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

$172 R$937

$764 R$4,158

-77.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,088 R$38.6K

$15.7K R$85.5K

-54.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 R$285

$52.6 R$286

-0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.29 R$257

$42.10 R$229

12.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 R$460

$79.4 R$432

6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 R$368

$83.6 R$455

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,286

$517 R$2,813

-54.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 R$765

$242 R$1,314

-41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 R$2,189

$1,156 R$6,290

-65.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,112

$580 R$3,153

-64.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$914 R$4,970

$2,398 R$13.0K

-61.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 R$2,884

$1,678 R$9,128

-68.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 R$2,798

$784 R$4,267

-34.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

-9.24%

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

Last update for Serra: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$198 24%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 1.3% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$178 21.6%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 30% $53

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$141 17%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 71.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$113 13.7%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 2.4% $2.7

Eating Out

Serra

$104 12.5%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 44.8% $46

Getting Around

Serra

$54 6.6%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 29.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$37 4.5%

Brasilia

$45 5% 21.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $236 in Serra and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Serra vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $201 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

Same time as Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Serra Brasilia 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $825 in Serra and $916 in Brasilia, so Serra is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Serra. 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: $236 in Serra versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $172 in Serra versus $764 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Serra – a meal for two runs $22 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Serra wins on affordability, Brasilia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.