Buying in Distrito Federal, in detail
The Distrito Federal is a federal district rather than a state, and it ranks 1st of 27 units for rented homes. Tenants live in 33.2% of its 988,175 occupied homes, while the Brazilian share is 22.2%. Owners hold 58.7%. A buyer here meets the deepest rental market in the country, which matters when you compare buying with renting.
The median financed home reaches R$ 425,000 as of 30 June 2026, 2nd of 27. The Brazilian median is R$ 290,545. This is the Central Bank valor de avaliação of financed homes only, so cash sales are left out and the figure can sit above what a cash buyer pays. A Tabela Price instalment on that median comes to R$ 3,170 a month. Price keeps the instalment level from the first month to the last.
The district counted 2,817,381 people in the 2022 census and is estimated at 3,009,996 for 2026. Growth of 6.8% puts it 12th of 27, a little above the Brazilian 5.5%. Each occupied home holds 2.85 people, 14th of 27, against 2.8 for the country. The SINAPI index reads R$ 2,057 for each square metre built, 10th of 27, next to R$ 2,000 nationally. It tracks construction costs, not resale prices, so do not read it as the price of a finished flat. The Selic stood at 13.75% and the average bank rate at 11.28% a year in August 2026, and a loan covers at most 80% of the value over 30 years.
Brasília is the only city of the district on Payotte, so district and city share the same population. Its ITBI, the municipal transfer tax, is 2% of the value, and a first transfer of a newly built property pays 1%. Thirteen cities in the Payotte set have a higher rate; only one has a lower one. For a R$ 500 thousand purchase the ITBI is R$ 10,000, R$ 1,318 for the registro and R$ 2,372 for the escritura, for a total of R$ 13,690, or 2.74% of the price. At R$ 1 million the total is R$ 24,217, or 2.42%. The court table prints the full amount paid, fees and state shares together, so these totals are not floors.
The IPTU, the yearly property tax, averaged R$ 1,349 for each home in 2024, 38th in the list of the 100 biggest cities. Brasília ranks 3rd nationally by population.
In short
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Brasília, the capital of Distrito Federal, the ITBI transfer tax, the notary deed and the registration come to R$ 13,690. The city's ITBI rate is 2%. 33.2% of occupied homes were rented in the 2022 Census.
Calculate for Distrito Federal
The questions, answered
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 500 thousand home in Brasília?
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Brasília, the capital of Distrito Federal, ITBI transfer tax (2%) R$ 10,000, notary deed (escritura) R$ 2,372, registration at the property registry R$ 1,318: R$ 13,690 in all, from the rates and fee tables read on 15 October 2026.
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 1 million home in Brasília?
On a R$ 1 million home in Brasília, the capital of Distrito Federal: ITBI transfer tax (2%) R$ 20,000, notary deed (escritura) R$ 2,548, registration at the property registry R$ 1,669, R$ 24,217 in all.
What is the ITBI rate in Brasília?
Brasília charges ITBI at 2% of the value of the transfer (Lei nº 3.830/2006 art. 9 (wording by Lei nº 7.635/2024, effects from 2025-01-01); Decreto nº 27.576/2006 arts. 5, 6, 9, 12); the same law sets a reduced rate of 1% for some purchases it defines (see the purchase costs calculator).
What monthly payment on a R$ 500 thousand home in Distrito Federal?
R$ 400,000 borrowed on a R$ 500 thousand home (CMN cap 80%) costs R$ 3,738 a month with Price over 30 years at 11.31% (September 2026), or R$ 4,699 the first month with SAC.
Do more people rent in Distrito Federal than in Brazil as a whole?
In the 2022 Census, 33.2% of the 988,175 occupied homes in Distrito Federal were rented and 58.7% owned by a resident, against 22.2% rented across Brazil (IBGE).
What is the typical value of a financed home in Distrito Federal?
The median appraisal value of homes financed in Distrito Federal was R$ 425,000 in June 2026, against R$ 290,545 for Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil, homes bought with a loan only, not all sales).
What is the average construction cost per square metre in Distrito Federal?
The SINAPI average construction cost published by the IBGE for Distrito Federal was R$ 2,057 per square metre in September 2026, against R$ 2,000 for Brazil.
How much tax when you sell a home in Distrito Federal?
Federal rules apply in Distrito Federal as everywhere in Brazil. A non-resident pays 15% on a gain up to R$ 5 million, rising by bands to 22.5% (Law 8,981, art. 21), withheld by the buyer: bought R$ 800 thousand, sold R$ 1.2 million, a gain of R$ 400,000 costs R$ 60,000 (R$ 100,000 in a low-tax jurisdiction, 25%). A resident selling an only property for R$ 440,000 or less is exempt, as is one reinvesting within 180 days.
How many people live in Distrito Federal?
Distrito Federal had 2,817,381 residents in the 2022 Census, and 3,009,996 in the IBGE estimate for 2026.
How Distrito Federal compares
Distrito Federal counted 2,817,381 residents in 2022, 1.4% of Brazil's 203,080,756 across the 27 federative units and the 20th largest. The IBGE estimate for 2026, 3,009,996, is 6.8% higher (Brazil: 5.5%), the 12th fastest of the 27. Brasília is the city of the state on Payotte, holding 100% of its residents. Region: Centro-Oeste; 2.85 residents per occupied home against 2.8 nationally.
33.2% of the 988,175 occupied homes of Distrito Federal were rented in 2022, well above the 22.2% national share; 58.7% were owned by a resident. That is the 1st highest rental share of 27 units.
Brasília, the capital, charges ITBI at 2%, exactly the median of the 41 city rates read. That is R$ 10,000 on R$ 500 thousand and R$ 20,000 on R$ 1 million; the law also lists 1% for some purchases it defines, which the calculator does not apply.
On R$ 500 thousand, the Distrito Federal fee table gives the notary deed R$ 2,372 (R$ 2,548 on R$ 1 million) and registration R$ 1,318 (R$ 1,669 on R$ 1 million). All the lines Payotte computes add up to R$ 13,690, 2.74% of the price, and 2.42% on R$ 1 million: fees weigh less as the price doubles. The table prints the amount the user pays.
In Distrito Federal the median appraisal of a financed home is R$ 425,000, 46.3% above the national R$ 290,545 and 2nd of 27 units; a R$ 500 thousand purchase is 1.2 times that median. A loan of 80% on the median home would cost R$ 3,177 a month over 30 years with the Price system at 11.31%, against R$ 3,738 for R$ 500 thousand. The SINAPI construction cost, R$ 2,057 per square metre, is 2.8% above the national R$ 2,000 (10th of 27).
| Measure | Value | Reference | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distrito Federal: residents, 2022 Census | 2,817,381 | median unit 3,941,613 | 20th of 27 |
| Share of Brazil's residents | 1.39% | 203,080,756 in Brazil | 20th of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: estimate for 2026 against the census | +6.8% | Brazil +5.5% | 12th of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: occupied homes, 2022 | 988,175 | Brazil 72,461,369 | 20th of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: residents per occupied home | 2.85 | Brazil 2.8 | 14th of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: homes rented | 33.2% | Brazil 22.2% | 1st of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: homes owned by a resident | 58.7% | median unit 71.6% | 27th of 27 |
| Distrito Federal: ITBI rate (Brasília) | 2% | median of 41 cities 2% | 14th of 41 |
| Distrito Federal: ITBI on R$ 500 thousand (Brasília) | R$ 10,000 | at the median rate R$ 10,000 | +R$ 0 |
| Distrito Federal: ITBI on R$ 1 million (Brasília) | R$ 20,000 | at the median rate R$ 20,000 | +R$ 0 |
| Distrito Federal: all computed lines on R$ 500 thousand (Brasília) | R$ 13,690 | 2.74% of the price | R$ 24,217 on R$ 1 million |
| Median value of financed homes | R$ 425,000 | Brazil R$ 290,545 | 2nd of 27 |
| SINAPI cost per square metre | R$ 2,057 | Brazil R$ 2,000 | 10th of 27 |
| Cities on Payotte | 1 | 100% of the state's residents | - |
The figures
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ITBI transfer tax (2%), Brasília, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 10,000 | Lei nº 3.830/2006 art. 9 (wording by Lei nº 7.635/2024, effects from 2025-01-01); Decreto nº 27.576/2006 arts. 5, 6, 9, 12 |
| Notary deed (escritura), Brasília, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 2,372 | Distrito Federal 2026 fee table |
| Registration at the property registry, Brasília, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 1,318 | Distrito Federal 2026 fee table |
| Population, 2022 Census | 2,817,381 | IBGE |
| Population estimate, 2026 | 3,009,996 | IBGE |
| Occupied homes rented, 2022 Census | 33.2% | IBGE |
| Median appraisal value of financed homes (2026-06) | R$ 425,000 | Banco Central do Brasil (ODbL) |
| SINAPI average construction cost per m² (September 2026) | R$ 2,057 | IBGE |
| Average rate, new housing loans to individuals (2026-09) | 11.31% | Banco Central do Brasil, SGS 20774 |
| Selic target, since 2026-09-17 | 13.75% | Banco Central do Brasil, Copom |
No open official series gives home prices by city in Brazil; the Banco Central median is by state.
Cities of Distrito Federal on Payotte
Sources
- ITBI, Brasília: Lei nº 3.830/2006 art. 9 (wording by Lei nº 7.635/2024, effects from 2025-01-01); Decreto nº 27.576/2006 arts. 5, 6, 9, 12 (consulted 2026-10-15).
- Notary and registry fees, Distrito Federal: Resolucao n. 2 de 19/12/2025 do Conselho da Magistratura do TJDFT (update of the tables of federal Lei 14.756/2023), in force 2026-01-01; the calculator.
- Census and construction cost: IBGE, SIDRA (4714, 6579, 9930, 2296).
- Loans and values: Banco Central do Brasil open data (ODbL 1.0); Copom decisions.