Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $678 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index
63

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

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Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$678

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manta 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 Manta and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Manta versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manta $678
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,157 in Manta versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manta $1,157
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,636 in Manta versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manta $1,636
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Manta costs roughly 47% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manta 50% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 $2.96

$10.06 R$51.0

-70.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 $52.2

$40.44 R$205

29.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 $5.39

$8.55 R$43.35

-36.96%

Cappuccino

$2.92 $2.92

$2.38 R$12.04

22.69%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.61 R$8.18

-67.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.03 R$5.22

-63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.47 R$12.54

20.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.70 R$18.77

0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.19 R$6.05

-13.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.05 R$10.38

-6.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.28 R$6.49

-23.44%

Eggs

$2.13 $2.13

$2.29 R$11.60

-6.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$10.76 R$54.5

-72.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$4.41 R$22.36

-32.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$9.84 R$49.86

-30.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.81 R$14.25

-65.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.78 R$9.03

-56.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.60 R$8.13

-55.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.80 R$9.11

-56.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.22 R$6.17

-57.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.04 R$5.26

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 $0.69

$0.77 R$3.92

-10.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.67 R$3.38

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.01 R$15.27

35.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$8.08 R$40.94

-14.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.19 R$6.03

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.51 R$12.73

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

$0.99 R$5.00

-49.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.22 R$6.20

39.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.92 R$4.66

89.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.27 $9.27

$8.97 R$45.45

3.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.30 R$6.57

-44.62%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-13.44%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-6.28%

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

$97.1 $97.1

$133 R$676

-27.19%

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

$11.13 $11.13

$10.82 R$54.8

2.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.84 $25.84

$22.90 R$116

12.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.23 $20.23

$30.79 R$156

-34.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

$31.85 R$161

8.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 $4.89

$8.05 R$40.83

-39.25%

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

$369 $369

$598 R$3,029

-38.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,783 $5,783

$13.4K R$68.0K

-56.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$42.04 R$213

31.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.87 $40.87

$49.68 R$252

-17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$74.5 R$378

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 $61.8

$68.7 R$348

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 $303

$903 R$4,578

-66.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 $141

$529 R$2,684

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 $917

$1,326 R$6,724

-30.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 $334

$756 R$3,831

-55.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$474 $474

$640 R$3,242

-25.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.93

-15.76%

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

Last update for Manta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$143 21.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 50.1% $72

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$141 20.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 275% $388

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$134 19.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 24.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 9.1% $11

Eating Out

Manta

$101 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 63.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 56.2% $17

Getting Around

Manta

$12 * 1.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 384% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $303 in Manta and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 35% 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: $52.0 in Manta vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $143 vs $215, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

2 h ahead of Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manta Rio de Janeiro 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Manta
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

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

Manta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $303 in Manta versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $369 in Manta versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Manta – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $678 in Manta versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Manta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.