OBJECTIVES: To estimate the impact of the cost of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Brazil based on the ratio (“R”) of health care expenses of households with at least one person using medication for diabetes to those without diabetes medication use. METHODS: We utilized data from the Family Budget Study (POF – Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares), a representative sample of 59.548 households investigated in 2008-2009 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and R (version 3.0.2). Households were categorized based on the purchase (or no cost receipt) of diabetes medications by family members.  Expenses included those for hospitalization, medical consultations, health insurance, drugs and medical supplies. Analyses were conducted for Brazil, for regions and for those with and without health insurance coverage. Results are weighted so as to represent the Brazilian population.