Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Manaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $931 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Sao Paulo versus $931 in Manaus.

Sao Paulo $1,183
Manaus $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,948 in Sao Paulo versus $1,368 in Manaus.

Sao Paulo $1,948
Manaus $1,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,713 in Sao Paulo versus $1,806 in Manaus.

Sao Paulo $2,713
Manaus $1,806

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 27% more expensive than in Manaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 13% lower, Manaus 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 R$44.36

$5.74 R$31.25

41.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.78 R$254

$25.62 R$139

82.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$44.84

$6.47 R$35.21

27.36%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R$13.12

$2.19 R$11.94

10.05%

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

$1.32 R$7.18

$0.99 R$5.39

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.60

$0.73 R$3.99

16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R$15.11

$2.54 R$13.83

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 R$22.61

$5.05 R$27.45

-17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.24

$1.32 R$7.17

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$9.18

$1.54 R$8.38

9.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.33

$1.14 R$6.18

18.42%

Eggs

$2.69 R$14.64

$2.46 R$13.39

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 R$64.1

$9.14 R$49.72

28.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$27.02

$3.82 R$20.75

30.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$54.9

$6.70 R$36.43

50.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 R$13.93

$2.23 R$12.15

14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.48

$1.54 R$8.36

12.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.84

$1.38 R$7.50

4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.93

$1.84 R$10.00

-0.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.02

$1.12 R$6.12

15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.15 R$6.26

1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R$6.65

$0.75 R$4.10

62.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.84

$0.62 R$3.40

43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.97

$3.36 R$18.25

-18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 R$50.4

$8.46 R$46.04

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$9.39

$1.41 R$7.69

22.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.93

$1.56 R$8.49

52.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.57

$0.88 R$4.81

15.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 R$245

$36.80 R$200

22.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 R$9.33

$0.92 R$4.99

86.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.86

$0.87 R$4.71

2.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 R$51.8

$8.99 R$48.91

5.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.69

$1.23 R$6.70

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

$22.3K R$121.4K

$21.6K R$117.7K

3.16%

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

$32.5K R$176.7K

$32.4K R$176.2K

0.29%

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

$98.2 R$534

$112 R$608

-12.10%

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

$15.47 R$84.2

$14.44 R$78.6

7.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.73 R$113

$23.86 R$130

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R$173

$25.68 R$140

24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.21 R$241

$23.54 R$128

87.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 R$49.35

$6.41 R$34.84

41.50%

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

$512 R$2,787

$212 R$1,152

141.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K R$86.1K

$4,775 R$26.0K

231.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R$327

$47.41 R$258

26.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 R$311

$29.69 R$162

92.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$505

$56.3 R$306

64.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 R$468

$63.9 R$348

34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 R$3,435

$747 R$4,064

-15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 R$2,358

$299 R$1,625

45.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 R$7,365

$1,121 R$6,100

20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 R$5,208

$451 R$2,454

112.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 R$13.5K

$1,543 R$8,391

60.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,909 R$10.4K

$1,257 R$6,840

51.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$818 R$4,449

$491 R$2,669

66.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.33

13.07%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manaus: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6%

Manaus

$299 32.1% 31.1% $135

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2%

Manaus

$188 20.2% 17.1% $39

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7%

Manaus

$121 13% 18.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4%

Manaus

$150 16.1% 11.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3%

Manaus

$89 9.5% 33.4% $45

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7%

Manaus

$46 4.9% 17.6% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2%

Manaus

$38 4.1% 23% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $632 in Sao Paulo and $747 in Manaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sao Paulo vs $26 in Manaus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $188 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

2,063,689

💱 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

Sao Paulo Manaus 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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

Sao Paulo vs Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 67% higher in Sao Paulo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $632 in Sao Paulo versus $747 in Manaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Sao Paulo. 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 $47 in Sao Paulo. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Manaus wins on affordability, Sao Paulo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.