São Paulo vs Brasília Cost of Living

São Paulo (Brazil) · Overall index 35.9Brasília (Brazil) · Overall index 32.2

Summary

  • Overall, Brasília is 10% cheaper than São Paulo.
  • Rent in Brasília is 13% cheaper than in São Paulo.
  • Dining out in Brasília is 12% cheaper than in São Paulo.
ItemSão PauloBrasíliaDiff
Rent-13%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$966$976+1%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$665$562-15%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$2,186$1,892-13%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$1,366$1,038-24%
Groceries-9%
Milk (1L)$0.55$0.53-4%
White bread (500g)$1.73$1.86+8%
Rice (1kg)$2.36$2.360%
Eggs (12)$2.35$2.17-8%
Local cheese (1kg)$7.12$5.29-26%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$6.35$4.96-22%
Beef round (1kg)$8.01$8.71+9%
Apples (1kg)$2.5$2.27-9%
Bananas (1kg)$1.05$0.82-22%
Oranges (1kg)$1.99$1.78-11%
Tomatoes (1kg)$2.58$2.51-3%
Potatoes (1kg)$1.33$1.12-16%
Onions (1kg)$1.38$1.13-18%
Lettuce (1 head)$1.07$1.12+5%
Water (1.5L bottle)$1.12$0.98-13%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$6.84$6.36-7%
Transport-10%
Public transport, one-way ticket$0.91$0.85-7%
Public transport, monthly pass$42.2$38.4-9%
Taxi, base fare$1.64$1.33-19%
Taxi, per km$0.64$0.7+9%
Gasoline (1L)$0.37$0.3-19%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$10,655$9,484-11%
Dining out-12%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$8.37$7.31-13%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$48.8$37.4-23%
Fast food combo meal$4.92$4.33-12%
Cappuccino$2.15$1.85-14%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$1.15$0.93-19%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$2.74$2.67-3%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$3.05$2.64-13%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$0.75$0.77+3%
Telecom-4%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$33.7$31.2-7%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$33$29.7-10%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.18$0.16-11%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$7.35$8.16+11%
Utilities & household-12%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$88.5$68.5-23%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.11$0.1-9%
Tap water (1m³)$2.26$1.76-22%
Natural gas (1m³)$0.64$0.62-3%
Waste collection (monthly)$10.7$8.64-19%
Fitness club (monthly)$34$33.5-1%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$6.59$6.14-7%
Men's haircut$13.8$14.2+3%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$12.6$11.3-10%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$1,022$846-17%

2,980 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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