Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $788 a month against $889 in Serra, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Serra and in Contagem

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 Contagem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $889 per month in Serra vs $788 in Contagem, rent included.

Serra $889
Contagem $788

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Serra vs $1,272 in Contagem, rent included.

Serra $1,317
Contagem $1,272

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Serra vs $1,755 in Contagem, rent included.

Serra $1,744
Contagem $1,755

Serra costs about 13% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Serra and Contagem are more affordable than the global median – Serra 34% lower, Contagem 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 R$24.16

$6.06 R$30.73

-21.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.99 R$117

$30.50 R$155

-24.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 R$41.58

$7.32 R$37.10

12.02%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.57

$1.76 R$8.93

18.75%

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

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.42 R$7.19

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.15

$0.58 R$2.96

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.88

$1.32 R$6.69

47.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.53

$2.57 R$13.05

19.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.00 R$5.09

13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$1.84 R$9.34

-2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.37 R$6.94

-14.60%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.87

$1.98 R$10.06

8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$10.07 R$51.1

4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.22

$3.47 R$17.61

31.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$43.27

$7.50 R$38.03

13.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 R$14.53

$1.91 R$9.69

50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.17 R$5.91

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$0.94 R$4.75

94.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.67 R$8.48

-2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.09 R$5.53

8.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.65

$0.99 R$5.00

12.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.85 R$4.33

57.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.03

$0.82 R$4.14

69.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$1.64 R$8.31

51.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 R$28.59

$6.04 R$30.61

-6.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.02 R$5.18

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.59

$1.37 R$6.94

138.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.50 R$7.61

-35.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 R$239

$80.1 R$406

-41.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.19 R$6.04

10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.79 R$3.99

43.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 R$34.95

$6.28 R$31.84

9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.32 R$6.67

-18.18%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$23.5K R$119.3K

-0.06%

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

$33.8K R$171.1K

$31.6K R$160.4K

6.72%

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

$158 R$803

$76.2 R$386

108.00%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$10.11 R$51.3

21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$19.26 R$97.7

9.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$131

$26.55 R$135

-2.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$23.62 R$120

17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$37.95

$7.31 R$37.04

2.46%

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

$188 R$955

$144 R$732

30.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,726 R$34.1K

$2,630 R$13.3K

155.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R$279

$61.6 R$312

-10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 R$259

$49.74 R$252

2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 R$462

$68.6 R$348

32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$48.25 R$245

53.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,271

$232 R$1,174

8.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 R$774

$158 R$798

-3.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,261

$488 R$2,475

-8.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 R$1,117

$334 R$1,693

-33.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 R$4,917

$1,991 R$10.1K

-51.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 R$2,852

$1,015 R$5,146

-44.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 R$2,833

$261 R$1,324

114.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

3.09%

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

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Contagem: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$212 23.8%

Contagem

$179 22.7% 15.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$192 21.6%

Contagem

$106 13.4% 45% $86

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$153 17.2%

Contagem

$158 20% 3.2% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$122 13.8%

Contagem

$103 13% 16% $20

Eating Out

Serra

$111 12.5%

Contagem

$111 14.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Serra

$58 6.5%

Contagem

$91 11.6% 57.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$41 4.6%

Contagem

$41 5.2% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Serra versus $232 in Contagem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 114% higher in Serra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Serra versus $31.00 in Contagem. Groceries tell a different story – $212 in Serra vs $179 in Contagem – so Contagem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

621,863

💱 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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Serra Contagem 400 km

From you

Serra
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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

Serra vs Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Serra is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,333 per month in Serra and $1,183 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $188 per month in Serra and $144 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $889 in Serra and $788 in Contagem, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Contagem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Serra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.