Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Volta Redonda and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $817 a month against $1,008 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
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Volta Redonda Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $817 in Volta Redonda versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Volta Redonda $817
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,294 in Volta Redonda versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Volta Redonda $1,294
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,771 in Volta Redonda versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Volta Redonda $1,771
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Volta Redonda costs roughly 19% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Volta Redonda 39% lower, Brasilia 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 R$15.58

$9.23 R$46.81

-66.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 R$205

$39.99 R$203

1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 R$34.16

$8.44 R$42.79

-20.14%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.62 R$13.29

-4.96%

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

$1.44 R$7.30

$1.52 R$7.70

-5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.14

$0.91 R$4.63

-31.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.97

$2.43 R$12.30

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 R$22.81

$3.99 R$20.23

12.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.14

$1.10 R$5.57

-8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$9.76

$2.07 R$10.47

-6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.36 R$6.90

-9.56%

Eggs

$2.39 R$12.10

$2.46 R$12.47

-2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.84 R$34.65

$12.06 R$61.1

-43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 R$16.52

$4.00 R$20.29

-18.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 R$50.9

$9.09 R$46.06

10.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.01

$2.43 R$12.33

-10.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.53 R$7.76

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.96

$1.33 R$6.73

-26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R$10.42

$1.73 R$8.76

18.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.43

$1.17 R$5.95

25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.30

$1.04 R$5.28

19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 R$2.98

$0.83 R$4.20

-28.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$0.99 R$5.03

-50.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$2.43 R$12.34

-34.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 R$44.49

$8.26 R$41.86

6.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$5.74

$1.28 R$6.50

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R$8.40

$2.48 R$12.58

-33.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.03 R$5.23

-5.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.59 R$180

$36.05 R$183

-1.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 R$7.99

$1.05 R$5.32

50.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$5.01

$0.91 R$4.63

8.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 R$52.7

$6.31 R$31.99

64.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.28 R$6.51

-3.91%

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

$24.2K R$122.8K

$24.2K R$122.5K

0.25%

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

$33.7K R$170.6K

$33.3K R$169.0K

0.99%

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

$96.2 R$488

$98.4 R$499

-2.26%

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

$11.25 R$57.0

$12.88 R$65.3

-12.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.11 R$112

$22.35 R$113

-1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.50 R$155

$34.14 R$173

-10.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.34 R$144

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 R$39.09

$7.78 R$39.45

-0.90%

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

$149 R$756

$834 R$4,230

-82.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,034 R$15.4K

$17.3K R$87.9K

-82.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.44 R$230

$56.8 R$288

-20.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.63 R$201

$45.40 R$230

-12.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.6 R$256

$85.5 R$433

-40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 R$478

$90.5 R$459

4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 R$1,398

$507 R$2,572

-45.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,033

$279 R$1,412

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 R$2,988

$1,123 R$5,693

-47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 R$1,959

$568 R$2,881

-31.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$831 R$4,215

$2,518 R$12.8K

-66.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 R$3,414

$1,744 R$8,840

-61.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 R$1,536

$841 R$4,263

-63.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

12.12

-3.63%

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

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Volta Redonda

$204 24.9%

Brasilia

$279 27.7% 36.7% $75

Groceries & Markets

Volta Redonda

$185 22.6%

Brasilia

$214 21.3% 16.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Volta Redonda

$130 15.9%

Brasilia

$134 13.3% 3.1% $4.1

Eating Out

Volta Redonda

$104 12.7%

Brasilia

$160 15.9% 54.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Volta Redonda

$103 12.7%

Brasilia

$125 12.4% 21% $22

Getting Around

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6%

Brasilia

$46 4.5% 0.4% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6%

Brasilia

$50 4.9% 8.2% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Volta Redonda and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 177% 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: $40.00 in Volta Redonda vs $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $214 per month, with Volta Redonda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

Same time as Volta Redonda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,563

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

On the map

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Between locations

Volta Redonda Brasilia 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Volta Redonda
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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

Volta Redonda vs Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Volta Redonda and Brasilia differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($817 vs $1,008 including rent). Volta Redonda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 177% 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: $276 in Volta Redonda versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $817 per month in Volta Redonda versus $1,008 in Brasilia – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $817 in Volta Redonda versus $1,008 in Brasilia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volta Redonda but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.