Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresopolis and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Teresopolis $661
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Teresopolis versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Teresopolis $1,120
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,580 in Teresopolis versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Teresopolis $1,580
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Teresopolis costs roughly 34% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Teresopolis 51% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 R$17.99

$8.80 R$44.59

-59.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.21 R$143

$39.84 R$202

-29.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 R$35.23

$8.26 R$41.87

-15.86%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.95

$2.72 R$13.81

-35.29%

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

$1.41 R$7.14

$1.57 R$7.96

-10.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$1.00 R$5.07

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.33 R$11.81

-47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 R$25.45

$3.92 R$19.85

28.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.09 R$5.53

-9.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$7.64

$2.07 R$10.52

-27.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.93

$1.36 R$6.87

0.74%

Eggs

$2.01 R$10.19

$2.43 R$12.33

-17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R$46.19

$11.64 R$59.0

-21.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 R$17.49

$4.07 R$20.62

-15.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$41.36

$8.80 R$44.60

-7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.47

$2.49 R$12.64

-24.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.48 R$7.48

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.34 R$6.79

-27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.38

$1.63 R$8.29

-22.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.55

$1.23 R$6.25

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.14

$1.04 R$5.27

-21.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 R$2.85

$0.86 R$4.34

-34.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.06

$0.95 R$4.80

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 R$8.12

$2.52 R$12.77

-36.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 R$30.55

$8.39 R$42.54

-28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.31 R$6.65

6.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.21

$2.41 R$12.23

-41.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.65

$1.01 R$5.13

-8.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.82 R$182

$35.30 R$179

1.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.23

$1.10 R$5.58

-6.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.93 R$4.73

11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 R$12.30

$6.17 R$31.25

-60.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.29 R$6.54

-0.78%

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

$20.9K R$105.9K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-10.88%

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

$30.9K R$156.5K

$33.7K R$170.9K

-8.41%

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

$29.33 R$149

$96.3 R$488

-69.55%

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

$23.98 R$122

$12.59 R$63.8

90.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.63 R$94.5

$22.58 R$114

-17.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 R$150

$33.65 R$171

-11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 R$102

$27.87 R$141

-27.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.26

$7.78 R$39.43

-13.11%

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

$145 R$737

$815 R$4,133

-82.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,629 R$13.3K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-84.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.55 R$130

$55.4 R$281

-53.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.07 R$137

$44.23 R$224

-38.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 R$342

$85.0 R$431

-20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.75 R$242

$87.8 R$445

-45.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$494 R$2,506

-27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$800

$282 R$1,427

-43.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,701

$1,127 R$5,711

-52.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R$2,017

$593 R$3,004

-32.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$5,988

$2,522 R$12.8K

-53.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 R$2,478

$850 R$4,310

-42.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

12.12

-11.96%

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

Last update for Teresopolis: 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

Teresopolis

$172 26%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 23.4% $40

Accommodation & Living

Teresopolis

$158 23.9%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 78.4% $124

Eating Out

Teresopolis

$95 14.3%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 66.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Teresopolis

$76 11.4%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 62.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresopolis

$72 10.9%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 82.8% $60

Getting Around

Teresopolis

$46 6.9%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 1.3% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Teresopolis

$43 6.5%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 14% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Teresopolis and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 74% 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: $28.00 in Teresopolis vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $212 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

Same time as Teresopolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,123

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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Between locations

Teresopolis Brasilia 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Teresopolis
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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

Teresopolis vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresopolis and Brasilia differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($661 vs $1,000 including rent). Teresopolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $360 in Teresopolis versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Teresopolis – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $661 per month in Teresopolis versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis 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 Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.