NavoyNostos

Cusco vs Manaus

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cusco edges it, 51 to 49, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Cusco is stronger on air quality; Manaus on healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.3 of 51 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 4.9 of 51 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 6.8 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 4.2 of 51 points (scores 38/100)Climate: 0.0 of 51 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 51 points (scores 55/100)51
Cusco
out of 100

Inca capital at 3,400 metres

Full Cusco profile →Where to stay in Cusco →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 49 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 3.9 of 49 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 49 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 7.0 of 49 points (scores 63/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 49 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 4.7 of 49 points (scores 42/100)Climate: 0.9 of 49 points (scores 8/100)Air quality: 4.2 of 49 points (scores 38/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 49 points (scores 54/100)49
Manaus
out of 100

Amazon's river metropolis, hot year-round, with a free-trade-zone economy

Full Manaus profile →Where to stay in Manaus →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCuscoManaus
Cost of living4750 ✓
Safety44 ✓35
Healthcare6272 ✓
Internet6263 ✓
Visa ease7577 ✓
Getting there & around3842 ✓
Climate08 ✓
Air quality75 ✓38
Quality of life55 ✓54

Cost

MetricCuscoManaus
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,383$1,300 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCuscoManaus
Homicides per 100k8.6 ✓18.69
Political stability (0–100)56.958.9 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)6884 ✓
Life expectancy71.7 yrs72.4 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCuscoManaus
Download22.6 Mbps25 Mbps ✓
Upload13.3 Mbps ✓13.2 Mbps

Visa

MetricCuscoManaus
Nomad visanone listedDigital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV) ✓
Minimum income for the visano data$1,500/mo
Entry, US passport180 days ✓90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days ✓90 days

Getting there and around

MetricCuscoManaus
Non-stop airport destinations626 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricCuscoManaus
Comfortable months per year01 ✓
Annual mean PM2.516.4 µg/m³ ✓32.9 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cusco or Manaus?
Manaus is cheaper: about $1,300 per month versus $1,383 for one person.
Is Cusco or Manaus safer?
Cusco scores higher on safety (44 vs 35), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cusco or Manaus?
Manaus: a measured median of 25 Mbps versus 22.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.