Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,094 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,094

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in La Serena vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

La Serena $1,094
Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $1,814 per month in La Serena vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

La Serena $1,814
Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $2,534 per month in La Serena vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

La Serena $2,534
Reykjavik $7,295

La Serena is about 73% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Serena sits 18% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 201% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 CLP 7,339

$30.59 ISK 3,730

-75.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.88 CLP 47.7K

$136 ISK 16.5K

-63.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 CLP 7,956

$27.08 ISK 3,302

-69.87%

Cappuccino

$2.91 CLP 2,835

$6.72 ISK 819

-56.70%

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

$1.10 CLP 1,074

$3.27 ISK 399

-66.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 CLP 626

$3.16 ISK 386

-79.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 CLP 2,053

$13.91 ISK 1,696

-84.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 CLP 3,727

$12.06 ISK 1,470

-68.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 CLP 1,216

$2.04 ISK 248

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CLP 2,320

$4.32 ISK 527

-44.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,492

$3.67 ISK 447

-58.31%

Eggs

$3.86 CLP 3,761

$7.02 ISK 856

-45.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.43 CLP 12.1K

$22.01 ISK 2,684

-43.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 CLP 5,836

$24.70 ISK 3,012

-75.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 CLP 12.4K

$42.66 ISK 5,202

-70.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 CLP 1,777

$3.37 ISK 412

-45.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 CLP 1,733

$2.85 ISK 347

-37.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 CLP 1,251

$3.17 ISK 387

-59.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 CLP 1,391

$6.39 ISK 779

-77.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,118

$4.01 ISK 489

-71.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 CLP 1,191

$1.64 ISK 200

-25.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 CLP 999

$3.80 ISK 463

-73.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CLP 896

$1.74 ISK 212

-47.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 CLP 5,164

$13.80 ISK 1,682

-61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 CLP 5,055

$23.38 ISK 2,851

-77.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 CLP 939

$3.53 ISK 430

-72.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CLP 2,028

$3.45 ISK 420

-39.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,015

$5.77 ISK 704

-81.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.64 CLP 34.8K

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-62.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 CLP 680

$6.63 ISK 808

-89.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 CLP 1,994

$2.79 ISK 341

-26.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.37 CLP 12.1K

$81.4 ISK 9,923

-84.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 CLP 1,391

$2.11 ISK 257

-32.23%

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

$20.4K CLP 19.9M

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-59.82%

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

$12.6K CLP 12.3M

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

-76.02%

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

$89.2 CLP 86.9K

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

0.56%

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

$11.07 CLP 10.8K

$31.53 ISK 3,845

-64.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.51 CLP 21.0K

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-74.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.5 CLP 84.3K

$100 ISK 12.2K

-13.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.92 CLP 20.4K

$48.20 ISK 5,877

-56.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.13 CLP 7,929

$19.87 ISK 2,424

-59.08%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.32 CLP 43.2K

$161 ISK 19.6K

-72.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CLP 59.9K

$64.9 ISK 7,914

-5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 CLP 89.9K

$183 ISK 22.3K

-49.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CLP 102.0K

$254 ISK 31.0K

-58.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 CLP 418.2K

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

-82.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 CLP 314.8K

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

-83.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 CLP 876.1K

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

-73.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 CLP 709.8K

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

-73.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,070 CLP 2.0M

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

-74.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,353 CLP 1.3M

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

-78.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$718 CLP 700.2K

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

-84.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.81

-26.22%

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

Last update for La Serena: October 4, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$323 29%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 520% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$236 21.1%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 165% $389

Eating Out

La Serena

$145 13%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 263% $381

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$136 12.2%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 119% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$122 10.9%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 68.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$103 9.2%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 36.4% $37

Getting Around

La Serena

$51 4.6%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 174% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in La Serena versus $2,499 in Reykjavik. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 553% higher in Reykjavik, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in La Serena versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $625 – making La Serena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

3 h ahead of La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 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 CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Serena Reykjavik 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
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

La Serena vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 269%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,642 per month in La Serena and $6,055 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,094 in La Serena and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 269%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in La Serena and $136 in Reykjavik. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,094, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Serena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.