Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manaus and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $914 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Manaus
🇧🇷 Brazil
$914
/mo nomad
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manaus and in Santiago

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 Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $914 in Manaus versus $1,206 in Santiago.

  • Manaus $914
  • Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Manaus versus $1,885 in Santiago.

  • Manaus $1,427
  • Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Manaus versus $2,564 in Santiago.

  • Manaus $1,940
  • Santiago $2,564

Living in Manaus costs roughly 24% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manaus 32% lower, Santiago 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.10 R$30.45
$10.19 CLP 9,931
-40.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.47 R$137
$52.2 CLP 50.9K
-47.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.97 R$34.80
$8.54 CLP 8,323
-18.38%
Cappuccino
$2.28 R$11.40
$3.19 CLP 3,115
-28.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 R$5.43
$1.68 CLP 1,637
-35.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R$4.23
$1.22 CLP 1,191
-30.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 R$13.80
$4.21 CLP 4,101
-34.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.24 R$26.18
$4.66 CLP 4,539
12.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 R$7.29
$1.32 CLP 1,283
10.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 R$8.27
$1.80 CLP 1,756
-7.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 R$6.36
$1.58 CLP 1,543
-19.62%
Eggs
$2.76 R$13.78
$4.25 CLP 4,141
-35.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.91 R$49.48
$11.19 CLP 10.9K
-11.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.08 R$20.37
$6.75 CLP 6,580
-39.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.29 R$36.38
$10.67 CLP 10.4K
-31.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.47 R$12.35
$2.04 CLP 1,991
21.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 R$8.19
$1.53 CLP 1,497
7.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 R$7.24
$1.59 CLP 1,549
-8.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 R$10.12
$1.75 CLP 1,708
16.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 R$5.97
$1.08 CLP 1,051
11.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R$5.84
$1.51 CLP 1,476
-22.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 R$3.88
$1.17 CLP 1,145
-33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 R$3.46
$1.07 CLP 1,041
-35.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.74 R$18.68
$5.14 CLP 5,015
-27.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.17 R$45.75
$5.88 CLP 5,732
55.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R$7.29
$1.55 CLP 1,513
-5.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 R$8.55
$2.27 CLP 2,218
-24.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$4.77
$0.85 CLP 829
12.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.10 R$200
$41.50 CLP 40.5K
-3.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.99 R$4.93
$0.39 CLP 383
153.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R$4.64
$0.84 CLP 820
10.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.73 R$48.58
$11.94 CLP 11.6K
-18.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 R$6.80
$1.50 CLP 1,467
-9.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K R$117.9K
$18.1K CLP 17.7M
30.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K R$172.8K
$21.6K CLP 21.1M
60.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 R$609
$151 CLP 147.3K
-19.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.07 R$80.2
$12.04 CLP 11.7K
33.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.37 R$127
$18.93 CLP 18.5K
34.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.46 R$127
$33.81 CLP 33.0K
-24.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.55 R$128
$11.72 CLP 11.4K
118.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.56 R$32.76
$7.37 CLP 7,185
-10.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$225 R$1,123
$434 CLP 423.3K
-48.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,143 R$25.7K
$11.0K CLP 10.7M
-53.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.5 R$252
$50.9 CLP 49.6K
-0.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.20 R$161
$29.16 CLP 28.4K
10.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.3 R$296
$67.4 CLP 65.7K
-11.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.5 R$352
$80.3 CLP 78.2K
-12.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$638 R$3,186
$555 CLP 540.8K
15.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$234 R$1,169
$372 CLP 363.2K
-37.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,086 R$5,421
$1,009 CLP 984.3K
7.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$465 R$2,323
$779 CLP 759.1K
-40.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,800 R$8,987
$2,671 CLP 2.6M
-32.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,309 R$6,534
$2,622 CLP 2.6M
-50.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manaus
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$530 R$2,644
$791 CLP 771.7K
-33.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.33
5.39
91.65%

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

Last update for Manaus: October 4, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Manaus
$234
Santiago
$372 59% $138
Groceries & Markets
Manaus
$204
Santiago
$236 15.9% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manaus
$163
Santiago
$182 11.4% $19
Eating Out
Manaus
$129
Santiago
$187 45.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Manaus
$96
Santiago
$102 7.2% $6.8
Getting Around
Manaus
$50
Santiago
$50 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Manaus
$39
Santiago
$49 25.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $638 in Manaus and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 49% 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: $27.00 in Manaus vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $236 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Manaus
🇨🇱 Santiago
🕒 Local time
07:20 7:20 AM
08:20 8:20 AM
1 h ahead of Manaus
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,063,689
6,139,087 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Manaus Santiago 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Manaus
  • Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Santiago cheaper than Manaus?
Manaus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Manaus or Santiago?
On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Santiago. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Manaus and Santiago?
Rent for a central apartment: $638 in Manaus versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Manaus and in Santiago?
Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Manaus or in Santiago?
Dining out is cheaper in Manaus – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Manaus or in Santiago?
At $914 in Manaus versus $1,206 in Santiago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Manaus but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Manaus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Manaus or in Santiago?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Manaus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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