Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varginha and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $684 a month against $907 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$684

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $684 in Varginha versus $907 in Brasilia.

Varginha $684
Brasilia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,086 in Varginha versus $1,501 in Brasilia.

Varginha $1,086
Brasilia $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,488 in Varginha versus $2,094 in Brasilia.

Varginha $1,488
Brasilia $2,094

Living in Varginha costs roughly 25% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varginha 49% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.33 R$45.71

$8.23 R$45.18

1.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.53 R$124

$37.50 R$206

-39.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 R$35.11

$8.00 R$43.91

-20.00%

Cappuccino

$0.90 R$4.95

$2.44 R$13.37

-63.11%

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

$0.83 R$4.55

$1.37 R$7.53

-39.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 R$2.92

$0.97 R$5.34

-45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 R$6.92

$2.27 R$12.43

-44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R$18.78

$3.58 R$19.67

-4.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 R$4.45

$0.94 R$5.17

-13.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$8.28

$1.93 R$10.60

-21.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.28

$1.22 R$6.68

-21.31%

Eggs

$1.30 R$7.14

$2.25 R$12.33

-42.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 R$45.70

$10.96 R$60.1

-24.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.25 R$17.84

$3.68 R$20.21

-11.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$45.10

$8.16 R$44.78

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.30

$2.28 R$12.51

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.30

$1.37 R$7.50

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.92

$1.24 R$6.81

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.94

$1.50 R$8.20

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.29

$1.09 R$5.97

-11.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.94

$1.02 R$5.62

-11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 R$2.67

$0.76 R$4.17

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.73

$0.94 R$5.16

-27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 R$11.47

$2.34 R$12.83

-10.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.79 R$26.26

$7.68 R$42.14

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.24 R$6.78

-16.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R$9.10

$2.22 R$12.20

-25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 R$4.62

$0.77 R$4.24

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 R$228

$30.34 R$166

36.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R$4.85

$1.20 R$6.58

-26.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R$3.90

$0.84 R$4.63

-15.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 R$32.11

$7.22 R$39.63

-18.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.85

$1.20 R$6.57

-10.83%

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

$22.1K R$121.0K

$21.4K R$117.4K

3.09%

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

$27.3K R$149.6K

$31.7K R$173.7K

-13.87%

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

$94.6 R$519

$87.9 R$482

7.71%

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

$4.54 R$24.93

$11.11 R$61.0

-59.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.15 R$99.6

$20.19 R$111

-10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.87 R$131

$30.40 R$167

-21.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 R$139

$25.58 R$140

-0.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R$40.31

$7.23 R$39.67

1.66%

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

$203 R$1,113

$765 R$4,200

-73.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,996 R$21.9K

$16.6K R$91.3K

-75.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 R$183

$53.1 R$291

-37.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 R$301

$41.52 R$228

32.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$409

$78.7 R$432

-5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 R$305

$81.4 R$446

-31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 R$741

$508 R$2,785

-73.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 R$612

$246 R$1,352

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,394

$1,132 R$6,211

-77.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,325

$584 R$3,207

-58.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,589 R$8,717

$2,281 R$12.5K

-30.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 R$6,288

$1,623 R$8,907

-29.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$426 R$2,337

$859 R$4,716

-50.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

-17.49%

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

Last update for Varginha: November 3, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varginha

$154 22.5%

Brasilia

$196 21.6% 27.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varginha

$117 17.2%

Brasilia

$119 13.1% 1.6% $1.8

Eating Out

Varginha

$115 16.9%

Brasilia

$147 16.2% 27.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Varginha

$112 16.3%

Brasilia

$246 27.2% 121% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Varginha

$98 14.4%

Brasilia

$115 12.6% 16.7% $16

Getting Around

Varginha

$49 7.2%

Brasilia

$39 4.3% 21.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Varginha

$39 5.6%

Brasilia

$45 5% 16.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $135 in Varginha and $508 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Varginha vs $38 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $154 vs $196 per month, with Varginha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Varginha

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

Same time as Varginha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,467

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Varginha Brasilia 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Varginha
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

Varginha vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $684 in Varginha and $907 in Brasilia, so Varginha is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Varginha. 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: $135 in Varginha versus $508 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varginha – a meal for two runs $23 versus $38 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $684 per month in Varginha versus $907 in Brasilia – Varginha is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Varginha gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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