Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manaus and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $931 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manaus and in Rio de Janeiro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $931 in Manaus versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manaus $931
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,368 in Manaus versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manaus $1,368
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,806 in Manaus versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manaus $1,806
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Manaus costs roughly 21% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manaus 32% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.74 R$31.25

$9.08 R$49.39

-36.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.62 R$139

$37.25 R$203

-31.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 R$35.21

$8.02 R$43.62

-19.33%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.94

$2.19 R$11.91

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

$0.99 R$5.39

$1.46 R$7.96

-32.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.99

$0.99 R$5.37

-26.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R$13.83

$2.03 R$11.03

25.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 R$27.45

$3.45 R$18.75

46.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R$7.17

$1.06 R$5.76

24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 R$8.38

$1.98 R$10.79

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.18

$1.17 R$6.38

-2.56%

Eggs

$2.46 R$13.39

$2.21 R$12.01

11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 R$49.72

$10.11 R$55.0

-9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 R$20.75

$4.12 R$22.39

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 R$36.43

$9.17 R$49.89

-26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.15

$2.72 R$14.79

-18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R$8.36

$1.71 R$9.31

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.50

$1.53 R$8.32

-9.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 R$10.00

$1.66 R$9.04

10.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.12

$1.14 R$6.19

-1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.26

$0.99 R$5.41

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.10

$0.65 R$3.52

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.40

$0.60 R$3.26

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 R$18.25

$2.79 R$15.20

20.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 R$46.04

$7.48 R$40.69

13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.69

$1.09 R$5.93

29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$8.49

$2.33 R$12.69

-33.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.90 R$4.87

-2.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 R$200

$53.0 R$288

-30.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 R$4.99

$1.17 R$6.35

-21.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.71

$0.78 R$4.24

11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 R$48.91

$8.37 R$45.53

7.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.70

$1.21 R$6.60

1.65%

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

$21.6K R$117.7K

$21.5K R$116.8K

0.79%

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

$32.4K R$176.2K

$31.1K R$169.4K

4.05%

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

$112 R$608

$124 R$677

-10.26%

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

$14.44 R$78.6

$10.03 R$54.6

43.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.86 R$130

$20.88 R$114

14.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.68 R$140

$28.35 R$154

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 R$128

$29.33 R$160

-19.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 R$34.84

$7.62 R$41.43

-15.88%

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

$212 R$1,152

$563 R$3,062

-62.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,775 R$26.0K

$12.0K R$65.5K

-60.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.41 R$258

$39.25 R$213

20.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.69 R$162

$46.36 R$252

-35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.3 R$306

$68.4 R$372

-17.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.9 R$348

$63.4 R$345

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 R$4,064

$776 R$4,222

-3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 R$1,625

$473 R$2,574

-36.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 R$6,100

$1,391 R$7,566

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 R$2,454

$739 R$4,020

-38.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,543 R$8,391

$3,393 R$18.5K

-54.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,257 R$6,840

$1,570 R$8,541

-19.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 R$2,669

$597 R$3,247

-17.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

11.93

-13.41%

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

Last update for Manaus: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manaus

$299 32.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 58.4% $175

Groceries & Markets

Manaus

$188 20.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 6.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manaus

$150 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 3.6% $5.4

Eating Out

Manaus

$121 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 23.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Manaus

$89 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 10.2% $9

Getting Around

Manaus

$46 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 35.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Manaus

$38 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 13.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $747 in Manaus and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 22% 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: $26 in Manaus vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $201 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Manaus

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

1 h ahead of Manaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,063,689

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Manaus Rio de Janeiro 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Manaus
Rio de Janeiro

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

Manaus vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manaus is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $747 in Manaus versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Manaus – a meal for two runs $26 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Expats usually find Manaus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.