NavoyNostos

Manaus vs San Martín de los Andes

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights San Martín de los Andes edges it, 53 to 45, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Manaus is stronger on internet; San Martín de los Andes on air quality, safety, quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.8 of 45 points (scores 61/100)Safety: 3.9 of 45 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.8 of 45 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 7.0 of 45 points (scores 63/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 45 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 1.5 of 45 points (scores 14/100)Climate: 0.9 of 45 points (scores 8/100)Air quality: 0.7 of 45 points (scores 7/100)Quality of life: 6.2 of 45 points (scores 56/100)45
Manaus
out of 100

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

Full Manaus profile →Plan a trip to Manaus →
Cost of living: 7.5 of 52 points (scores 67/100)Safety: 6.8 of 52 points (scores 61/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 52 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 5.5 of 52 points (scores 49/100)Visa ease: 7.9 of 52 points (scores 71/100)Getting there & around: 1.7 of 52 points (scores 15/100)Climate: 0.0 of 52 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 5.5 of 52 points (scores 50/100)Quality of life: 8.9 of 52 points (scores 80/100)53
San Martín de los Andes
out of 100

Alpine-style lake town on Lago Lácar, quieter and pricier than Bariloche

Full San Martín de los Andes profile →Plan a trip to San Martín de los Andes →

Where they differ

  • Air quality. San Martín de los Andes leads on air quality, 50 to 7, against Manaus. PM2.5: 47 µg/m³ vs 27.6 µg/m³.
  • Safety. San Martín de los Andes leads on safety, 61 to 35, against Manaus. Homicides per 100,000: 18.69 vs 3.94.
  • Quality of life. San Martín de los Andes leads on quality of life, 80 to 56, against Manaus.

Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, healthcare.

Pick Manaus if you want

  • faster internet (25 Mbps measured)

Pick San Martín de los Andes if you want

  • to spend about $150 less a month
  • the safer country figures
  • cleaner air

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Cost of living6167 ✓
Safety3561 ✓
Healthcare79 ✓79
Internet63 ✓49
Visa ease77 ✓71
Getting there & around1415 ✓
Climate8 ✓0
Air quality750 ✓
Quality of life5680 ✓

Cost

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,300$1,150 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Homicides per 100k18.693.94 ✓
Political stability (0–100)58.968.4 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)84 ✓80
Life expectancy75.9 yrs77.2 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Download25 Mbps ✓11.7 Mbps
Upload13.2 Mbps ✓7 Mbps

Visa

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Nomad visaDigital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV)Digital nomad transitory residence
Minimum income for the visa$1,500/mono data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Non-stop airport destinations26 ✓3
Walkability (1–5, editorial)24 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricManausSan Martín de los Andes
Comfortable months per year1 ✓0
Annual mean PM2.547 µg/m³27.6 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Manaus or San Martín de los Andes?
San Martín de los Andes is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,300 for one person.
Is Manaus or San Martín de los Andes safer?
San Martín de los Andes scores higher on safety (61 vs 35), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Manaus or San Martín de los Andes?
Manaus: a measured median of 25 Mbps versus 11.7 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.