Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Manaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $805 a month against $918 in Manaus, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
Learn more

Manaus Living Index

Jump to prices

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo 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 Colombo and in Manaus actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $805 in Colombo versus $918 in Manaus.

Colombo $805
Manaus $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,211 in Colombo versus $1,421 in Manaus.

Colombo $1,211
Manaus $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,617 in Colombo versus $1,923 in Manaus.

Colombo $1,617
Manaus $1,923

Living in Colombo costs roughly 12% less than in Manaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 40% lower, Manaus 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,287

$6.14 R$31.12

-36.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.55 LKR 8,130

$28.46 R$144

-13.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,519

$7.21 R$36.55

5.41%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 845

$2.31 R$11.73

10.39%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$1.08 R$5.46

-37.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.79 R$4.03

-65.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 745

$2.73 R$13.83

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,019

$5.48 R$27.78

-43.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 539

$1.48 R$7.51

10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 LKR 191

$1.59 R$8.07

-63.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.23 R$6.21

-37.40%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 571

$2.71 R$13.75

-36.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

$10.24 R$51.9

36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,587

$3.91 R$19.81

22.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 LKR 2,455

$7.45 R$37.75

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,168

$2.45 R$12.43

166.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$1.66 R$8.41

-51.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 LKR 1,417

$1.40 R$7.08

205.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 427

$1.98 R$10.02

-34.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 331

$1.21 R$6.14

-17.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$1.17 R$5.95

-34.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 296

$0.76 R$3.84

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.72 R$3.65

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,413

$3.73 R$18.93

176.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 LKR 4,274

$8.87 R$44.97

45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 633

$1.52 R$7.69

25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$1.72 R$8.72

70.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 63.9

$0.95 R$4.82

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.27 LKR 2,407

$39.24 R$199

-81.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 135

$1.02 R$5.19

-59.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.87 R$4.39

-57.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 305

$9.72 R$49.25

-90.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 445

$1.37 R$6.92

-2.19%

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

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

$23.5K R$119.3K

54.52%

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

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

$34.0K R$172.2K

17.10%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

$121 R$611

-51.10%

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

$4.37 LKR 1,446

$16.11 R$81.7

-72.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.37 LKR 6,748

$25.16 R$128

-19.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.72 LKR 4,545

$25.69 R$130

-46.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

$25.15 R$127

-77.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 LKR 1,476

$6.47 R$32.80

-31.07%

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

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

$231 R$1,170

-83.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

$5,161 R$26.2K

-76.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.16 LKR 6,016

$50.5 R$256

-64.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.76 LKR 5,550

$32.12 R$163

-47.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

$61.7 R$313

27.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

$69.7 R$353

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 LKR 191.3K

$625 R$3,167

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 LKR 91.8K

$239 R$1,213

15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

$1,102 R$5,587

35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 LKR 143.4K

$463 R$2,348

-6.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

$1,788 R$9,064

105.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

$1,347 R$6,830

-13.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 85.9K

$515 R$2,609

-49.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

10.33

22.85%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manaus: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$277 34.4%

Manaus

$239 26.1% 13.7% $38

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$236 29.3%

Manaus

$203 22.1% 13.8% $32

Eating Out

Colombo

$106 13.1%

Manaus

$131 14.2% 23.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Manaus

$162 17.6% 93.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$70 8.7%

Manaus

$96 10.5% 37.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.8%

Manaus

$39 4.2% 70.6% $16

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.3%

Manaus

$48 5.3% 370% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $578 in Colombo and $625 in Manaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manaus pays 98% 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: $25.00 in Colombo vs $28.00 in Manaus. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $203, with Manaus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

9 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

2,063,689

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Manaus 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Manaus

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

Colombo vs Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Manaus. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Manaus. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $578 in Colombo versus $625 in Manaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Manaus pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $28.00 in Manaus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $918 in Manaus, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Manaus. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $805 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Manaus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.