Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
Learn more

Joao Pessoa Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $4,037 in Reykjavik.

Joao Pessoa $1,059
Reykjavik $4,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Joao Pessoa versus $5,666 in Reykjavik.

Joao Pessoa $1,635
Reykjavik $5,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,210 in Joao Pessoa versus $7,295 in Reykjavik.

Joao Pessoa $2,210
Reykjavik $7,295

Living in Joao Pessoa costs roughly 74% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Joao Pessoa is 21% below, Reykjavik is 201% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 R$35.82

$30.59 ISK 3,730

-76.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 R$147

$136 ISK 16.5K

-78.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 R$39.91

$27.08 ISK 3,302

-70.49%

Cappuccino

$1.60 R$7.98

$6.72 ISK 819

-76.19%

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

$1.02 R$5.07

$3.27 ISK 399

-68.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.43

$3.16 ISK 386

-78.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$9.41

$13.91 ISK 1,696

-86.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 R$17.56

$12.06 ISK 1,470

-70.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$2.04 ISK 248

-39.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 R$10.61

$4.32 ISK 527

-50.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R$7.69

$3.67 ISK 447

-58.04%

Eggs

$2.13 R$10.62

$7.02 ISK 856

-69.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R$43.08

$22.01 ISK 2,684

-60.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.04

$24.70 ISK 3,012

-79.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R$37.08

$42.66 ISK 5,202

-82.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 R$16.29

$3.37 ISK 412

-3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.10

$2.85 ISK 347

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 R$4.61

$3.17 ISK 387

-70.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.87

$6.39 ISK 779

-81.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.17

$4.01 ISK 489

-59.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$1.64 ISK 200

-23.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$3.80 ISK 463

-80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.27

$1.74 ISK 212

-50.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$14.92

$13.80 ISK 1,682

-78.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 R$44.69

$23.38 ISK 2,851

-61.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.78

$3.53 ISK 430

-55.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 R$16.54

$3.45 ISK 420

-4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.10

$5.77 ISK 704

-82.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.5 R$352

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 R$10.04

$6.63 ISK 808

-69.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 R$9.86

$2.79 ISK 341

-29.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 R$16.24

$81.4 ISK 9,923

-96.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.37

$2.11 ISK 257

-39.34%

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

$23.7K R$118.5K

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-53.30%

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

$33.2K R$165.5K

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

-37.13%

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

$131 R$652

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

47.23%

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

$23.38 R$117

$31.53 ISK 3,845

-25.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 R$121

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-71.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 R$194

$100 ISK 12.2K

-61.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.64 R$148

$48.20 ISK 5,877

-38.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 R$54.3

$19.87 ISK 2,424

-45.24%

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

$441 R$2,204

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

-65.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,925 R$34.6K

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

-77.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R$272

$161 ISK 19.6K

-66.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.7 R$343

$64.9 ISK 7,914

5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 R$447

$183 ISK 22.3K

-51.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 R$386

$254 ISK 31.0K

-69.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 R$2,014

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

-83.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 R$1,328

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

-86.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 R$3,303

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

-80.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 R$2,609

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

-80.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 R$12.1K

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

-69.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 R$5,935

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

-80.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,521

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

-89.23%

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 Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 652% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 203% $418

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 15% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 128% $167

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 325% $402

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 60.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 131% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Joao Pessoa and $2,499 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 829% 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: $29.00 in Joao Pessoa vs $136 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $625 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

02:38 2:38 AM

3 h ahead of Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

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 = 7.31 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 = 5.6 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 = 7.31 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Joao Pessoa Reykjavik 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
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

Joao Pessoa vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joao Pessoa and Reykjavik differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($1,059 vs $4,037 including rent). Joao Pessoa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 829% 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: $404 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,499 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Joao Pessoa 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 203% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa 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, Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.