Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manaus and Setia Alam

For one person, living costs are similar in Manaus and in Setia Alam: $918 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$918

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manaus and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Manaus versus $913 in Setia Alam.

Manaus $918
Setia Alam $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Manaus versus $1,358 in Setia Alam.

Manaus $1,421
Setia Alam $1,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,923 in Manaus versus $1,803 in Setia Alam.

Manaus $1,923
Setia Alam $1,803

Living in Manaus is roughly 1% more expensive than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manaus 32% lower, Setia Alam 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 R$31.12

$4.81 MYR 19.61

27.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 R$144

$24.57 MYR 100

15.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 R$36.55

$4.96 MYR 20.22

45.36%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R$11.73

$2.76 MYR 11.27

-16.30%

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

$1.08 R$5.46

$0.79 MYR 3.23

36.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.03

$0.47 MYR 1.93

68.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.83

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-36.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 R$27.78

$6.01 MYR 24.50

-8.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 R$7.51

$1.49 MYR 6.09

-0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.07

$0.72 MYR 2.92

120.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$0.59 MYR 2.42

108.47%

Eggs

$2.71 R$13.75

$1.20 MYR 4.91

125.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 R$51.9

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 R$19.81

$2.41 MYR 9.83

62.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R$37.75

$2.41 MYR 9.83

209.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 R$12.43

$1.24 MYR 5.04

97.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.41

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.08

$1.25 MYR 5.11

12.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$10.02

$1.20 MYR 4.91

65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$0.71 MYR 2.89

70.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$0.74 MYR 3.03

58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.84

$0.70 MYR 2.87

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.65

$0.72 MYR 2.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R$18.93

$4.32 MYR 17.64

-13.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 R$44.97

$19.60 MYR 80.0

-54.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R$7.69

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 R$8.72

$4.86 MYR 19.84

-64.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$4.82

$0.76 MYR 3.08

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 R$199

$12.31 MYR 50.2

218.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 R$5.19

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-17.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.39

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-27.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.72 R$49.25

$4.78 MYR 19.49

103.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R$6.92

$0.48 MYR 1.95

185.42%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-39.92%

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

$34.0K R$172.2K

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

2.85%

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

$121 R$611

$61.2 MYR 250

97.16%

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

$16.11 R$81.7

$8.52 MYR 34.77

89.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.16 R$128

$26.04 MYR 106

-3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.69 R$130

$49.73 MYR 203

-48.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 R$127

$6.97 MYR 28.44

260.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 R$32.80

$5.10 MYR 20.82

26.86%

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

$231 R$1,170

$135 MYR 551

70.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,161 R$26.2K

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

-34.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 R$256

$72.7 MYR 296

-30.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 R$163

$27.31 MYR 111

17.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 R$313

$53.8 MYR 220

14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 R$353

$36.56 MYR 149

90.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 R$3,167

$529 MYR 2,160

18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R$1,213

$323 MYR 1,319

-25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 R$5,587

$873 MYR 3,562

26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 R$2,348

$549 MYR 2,238

-15.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 R$9,064

$1,992 MYR 8,128

-10.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,347 R$6,830

$1,102 MYR 4,498

22.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$515 R$2,609

$1,143 MYR 4,663

-54.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

158.25%

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

Last update for Manaus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manaus

$239 26.1%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 35% $84

Groceries & Markets

Manaus

$203 22.1%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 1.5% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manaus

$162 17.6%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 40.9% $66

Eating Out

Manaus

$131 14.2%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 4.2% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Manaus

$96 10.5%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 11.1% $11

Getting Around

Manaus

$48 5.3%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 53.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Manaus

$39 4.2%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 55.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $625 in Manaus and $529 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays 122% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Manaus vs $25.00 in Setia Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $200 per month, with Setia Alam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Manaus

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

23:21 11:21 PM

12 h ahead of Manaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,063,689

150,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manaus Setia Alam 17,950 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Manaus
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setia Alam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 122% lower in Setia Alam. 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: $625 in Manaus versus $529 in Setia Alam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Manaus. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Setia Alam – 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 $913 in Setia Alam versus $918 in Manaus, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setia Alam but tight or insufficient in Manaus. The gap between the two cities makes Setia Alam 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, Manaus and Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Manaus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.