Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Manaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $914 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Manaus

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Manaus actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $914 in Manaus.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Manaus $914

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,427 in Manaus.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Manaus $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,940 in Manaus.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Manaus $1,940

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 84% more expensive than in Manaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Manaus is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$6.10 R$30.45

207.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$27.47 R$137

134.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.97 R$34.80

84.79%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.28 R$11.40

74.56%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.09 R$5.43

88.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.85 R$4.23

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.76 R$13.80

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$5.24 R$26.18

-12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.46 R$7.29

-1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.66 R$8.27

48.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.27 R$6.36

28.35%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.76 R$13.78

4.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.91 R$49.48

7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.08 R$20.37

145.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$7.29 R$36.38

88.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.47 R$12.35

11.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.64 R$8.19

32.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.45 R$7.24

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.03 R$10.12

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.20 R$5.97

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.17 R$5.84

8.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.78 R$3.88

117.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.69 R$3.46

150.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.74 R$18.68

11.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$9.17 R$45.75

-36.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.46 R$7.29

43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.71 R$8.55

61.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.96 R$4.77

-21.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$40.10 R$200

-32.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.99 R$4.93

63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.93 R$4.64

5.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$9.73 R$48.58

-20.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.36 R$6.80

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$23.6K R$117.9K

18.64%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$34.6K R$172.8K

-0.23%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$122 R$609

76.75%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$16.07 R$80.2

59.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$25.37 R$127

23.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$25.46 R$127

95.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$25.55 R$128

-33.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.56 R$32.76

58.99%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$225 R$1,123

107.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,143 R$25.7K

76.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$50.5 R$252

142.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$32.20 R$161

202.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$59.3 R$296

97.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$70.5 R$352

98.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$638 R$3,186

19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$234 R$1,169

115.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,086 R$5,421

47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$465 R$2,323

154.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,800 R$8,987

48.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,309 R$6,534

41.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$530 R$2,644

80.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.33

454.21%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Manaus: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Manaus

$234 25.6% 53.6% $271

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Manaus

$204 22.3% 28.2% $80

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Manaus

$129 14.1% 53.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Manaus

$163 17.9% 40% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Manaus

$96 10.5% 55.4% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Manaus

$39 4.2% 45.4% $32

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Manaus

$50 5.4% 35.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $638 in Manaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 80% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $27.00 in Manaus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $204 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,063,689

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Manaus 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Buenos Aires vs Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Manaus differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $914 including rent). Manaus is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $638 in Manaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $225 in Manaus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $914 in Manaus versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Manaus but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Manaus 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Manaus are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Manaus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.