Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $40,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caruaru and in Reykjavik

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Caruaru and in Reykjavik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Caruaru versus $4,037 in Reykjavik.

Caruaru $665
Reykjavik $4,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Caruaru versus $5,666 in Reykjavik.

Caruaru $1,106
Reykjavik $5,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,547 in Caruaru versus $7,295 in Reykjavik.

Caruaru $1,547
Reykjavik $7,295

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 84% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Caruaru is 50% below, Reykjavik is 201% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.95 R$29.70

$30.59 ISK 3,730

-80.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.63 R$148

$136 ISK 16.5K

-78.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 R$40.35

$27.08 ISK 3,302

-70.16%

Cappuccino

$1.53 R$7.62

$6.72 ISK 819

-77.23%

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

$1.06 R$5.27

$3.27 ISK 399

-67.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$3.16 ISK 386

-77.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.71

$13.91 ISK 1,696

-87.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$11.63

$12.06 ISK 1,470

-80.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$2.04 ISK 248

-39.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R$5.62

$4.32 ISK 527

-74.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.88

$3.67 ISK 447

-62.40%

Eggs

$2.09 R$10.43

$7.02 ISK 856

-70.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.54 R$22.65

$22.01 ISK 2,684

-79.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R$25.31

$24.70 ISK 3,012

-79.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 R$38.34

$42.66 ISK 5,202

-82.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.89

$3.37 ISK 412

-59.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.07

$2.85 ISK 347

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.27

$3.17 ISK 387

-72.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.63

$6.39 ISK 779

-82.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.20

$4.01 ISK 489

-59.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.19

$1.64 ISK 200

-24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$3.80 ISK 463

-80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.45

$1.74 ISK 212

-48.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.23

$13.80 ISK 1,682

-77.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.10

$23.38 ISK 2,851

-66.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R$7.66

$3.53 ISK 430

-56.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.18

$3.45 ISK 420

-29.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.62

$5.77 ISK 704

-83.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.88 R$134

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-71.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.09

$6.63 ISK 808

-81.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 R$9.69

$2.79 ISK 341

-30.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 R$15.51

$81.4 ISK 9,923

-96.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.46

$2.11 ISK 257

-38.86%

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

$23.6K R$118.0K

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-53.48%

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

$33.1K R$165.1K

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

-37.30%

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

$56.4 R$282

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

-36.37%

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

$8.13 R$40.58

$31.53 ISK 3,845

-74.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.96 R$49.73

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-88.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 R$74.1

$100 ISK 12.2K

-85.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.39 R$152

$48.20 ISK 5,877

-36.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 R$35.65

$19.87 ISK 2,424

-64.07%

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

$109 R$545

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

-91.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 R$33.8K

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

-78.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.41 R$202

$161 ISK 19.6K

-74.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 R$253

$64.9 ISK 7,914

-21.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 R$446

$183 ISK 22.3K

-51.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 R$330

$254 ISK 31.0K

-73.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 R$820

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

-93.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 R$657

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

-93.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,740

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

-89.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 R$1,314

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

-90.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$263 R$1,312

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

-94.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

24.86%

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

Last update for Caruaru: October 4, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$171 25.5%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 266% $454

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$132 19.7%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 1420% $1.9K

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$111 16.6%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 169% $187

Eating Out

Caruaru

$111 16.5%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 376% $415

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$75 11.1%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 175% $130

Getting Around

Caruaru

$42 6.2%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 235% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$29 4.4%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 381% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Caruaru and $2,499 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 1685% 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: $30.00 in Caruaru vs $136 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $625 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

3 h ahead of Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Caruaru Reykjavik 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
Reykjavik

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

Caruaru vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caruaru and Reykjavik differ by about 507% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $4,037 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1685% lower in Reykjavik. 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: $164 in Caruaru versus $2,499 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Caruaru versus $1,277 in Reykjavik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 266% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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, Caruaru and Reykjavik 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 507% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.