Living as an expat in Brasilia is not easy. Aside from adjusting to a new environment, you also have to get yourself familiar with even the simplest and most random things in the city, including its cost of living.

As a city planned to be highly urbanized, Brasilia’s cost of living is also high. To give you some idea of this, here are some information:

Apartment Price

Buying an apartment in the center of the city is expectedly more expensive than those located outside it. The first costs at least 1,607.59 €, while the latter would not go less than 803.79 €. If your place of work is not exactly located in the city center, then it would be more practical to buy an apartment outside it. If you want something more economical, you can also consider buying a place to stay in some of the satellite cities, especially those that are closer to Brasilia.

Dining

A typical meal in an inexpensive restaurant generally cost about 6.03 €, while a meal for two in an average restaurant is usually priced at 40.19 €. If you opt to dine in a fast food restaurant (such as McDonald’s), the combo meal prices at 6.03 € in general. A bottle of soda and water is at 1.21 € and 1.00 €, respectively.

Monthly Utilities

On average, the basic utilities: garbage, gas, water, and electricity will cost about 80.38 € per month. A 100-minute call on a mobile phone is 48.23 €, while an internet connection is at 72.34 € monthly.

Transportation

The design of the city of Brasilia was made in such a way that its people are expected to ride their own cars. So if you have your own automobile in the city, a liter of gasoline is 1.10 € on average. If you, however, are not driving your own car, the city has a good public transport system to take you wherever you want to go to the city. A one-way ticket costs 1.21 €. If you want to take a cab, the first 5 kilometers within the city center is worth 4.82 €.

Grocery

If you are doing your grocery, a liter of milk costs at least 0.68 €, while a loaf of fresh bread is at least 1.21 €.

These, of course, are just the estimated value of each item; enough to give you an idea of Brasilia’s cost of living. As expatriates, these are some of the things that you should take note of.