Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Calafate and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in El Calafate 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 El Calafate and in Reykjavik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $961 in El Calafate versus $4,002 in Reykjavik.

El Calafate $961
Reykjavik $4,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in El Calafate versus $5,705 in Reykjavik.

El Calafate $1,574
Reykjavik $5,705

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,187 in El Calafate versus $7,407 in Reykjavik.

El Calafate $2,187
Reykjavik $7,407

Living in El Calafate costs roughly 76% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: El Calafate is 29% below, Reykjavik is 196% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-66.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

$122 ISK 14.8K

-72.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-67.05%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$6.81 ISK 827

-59.32%

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

$1.64 ARS 2,484

$3.39 ISK 411

-51.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$3.20 ISK 388

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 ARS 3,157

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-85.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ARS 4,452

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-76.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ARS 1,887

$2.10 ISK 255

-40.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ARS 2,446

$4.19 ISK 508

-61.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,930

$3.72 ISK 451

-48.12%

Eggs

$2.20 ARS 3,346

$7.05 ISK 856

-68.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-52.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,209

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-75.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-77.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 2,963

$3.23 ISK 392

-39.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 ARS 3,205

$2.73 ISK 331

-22.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ARS 2,015

$3.17 ISK 384

-58.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,973

$6.61 ISK 802

-60.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,808

$3.85 ISK 467

-69.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.66 ISK 201

-27.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ARS 1,973

$3.80 ISK 461

-65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$1.75 ISK 212

-15.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ARS 4,800

$13.71 ISK 1,662

-76.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ARS 7,536

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-79.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$3.53 ISK 428

-41.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ARS 4,799

$3.32 ISK 402

-4.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ARS 1,159

$5.75 ISK 697

-86.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ARS 2,293

$6.61 ISK 802

-77.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ARS 1,322

$2.90 ISK 352

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 ARS 8,934

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-92.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ARS 1,600

$2.09 ISK 253

-49.76%

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

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-46.22%

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

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-43.26%

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

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

-30.20%

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

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

$32.35 ISK 3,923

-47.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-74.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

$102 ISK 12.4K

-73.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

$50.1 ISK 6,074

-72.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ARS 9,617

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-68.11%

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

$224 ARS 340.0K

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-81.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-89.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

$149 ISK 18.1K

-51.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

$66.6 ISK 8,080

6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.7K

$180 ISK 21.8K

-36.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ARS 172.2K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 518.6K

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-86.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ARS 357.2K

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-88.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ARS 1.1M

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ARS 809.3K

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-80.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

-77.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

-74.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

8.81

564.02%

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

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Calafate

$235 24.5%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 774% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

El Calafate

$231 24%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 169% $392

Eating Out

El Calafate

$174 18.1%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 209% $363

Clothing & Footwear

El Calafate

$167 17.4%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 74.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Calafate

$106 11%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 103% $109

Sport & Entertainment

El Calafate

$39 4.1%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 260% $102

Getting Around

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 1446% $129

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 $342 in El Calafate and $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in El Calafate vs $122 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $623 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

3 h ahead of El Calafate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,844

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Calafate Reykjavik 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

El Calafate
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

El Calafate vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Calafate and Reykjavik differ by about 316% in total monthly costs ($961 vs $4,002 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,442 in El Calafate and $6,003 in Reykjavik to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in El Calafate versus $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in El Calafate versus $1,194 in Reykjavik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $122 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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, El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 316% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.