Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Macaé versus $4,002 in Reykjavik.

Macaé $885
Reykjavik $4,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Macaé versus $5,705 in Reykjavik.

Macaé $1,498
Reykjavik $5,705

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Macaé versus $7,407 in Reykjavik.

Macaé $2,111
Reykjavik $7,407

Living in Macaé costs roughly 78% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 34% below, Reykjavik is 196% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 R$27.83

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.40 R$154

$122 ISK 14.8K

-75.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.95

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-73.60%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.63

$6.81 ISK 827

-75.04%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$3.39 ISK 411

-58.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$3.20 ISK 388

-81.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 R$6.26

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-91.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$13.93

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-77.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.91

$2.10 ISK 255

-53.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$4.19 ISK 508

-63.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$3.72 ISK 451

-63.17%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.92

$7.05 ISK 856

-72.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.73

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-57.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 R$17.04

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-86.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R$48.57

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-77.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.91

$3.23 ISK 392

-39.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$2.73 ISK 331

-55.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$3.17 ISK 384

-70.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.26

$6.61 ISK 802

-81.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.53

$3.85 ISK 467

-81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.33

$1.66 ISK 201

-48.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.88

$3.80 ISK 461

-85.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.45

$1.75 ISK 212

-72.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$13.71 ISK 1,662

-88.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R$30.36

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-75.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$3.53 ISK 428

-70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.24

$3.32 ISK 402

-62.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R$7.83

$5.75 ISK 697

-73.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

-10.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 R$6.89

$6.61 ISK 802

-79.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.96

$2.90 ISK 352

-73.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 R$42.19

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-89.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$2.09 ISK 253

-39.71%

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

$21.7K R$110.0K

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-57.48%

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

$31.4K R$159.2K

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-41.04%

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

$99.6 R$505

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

4.59%

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

$9.95 R$50.4

$32.35 ISK 3,923

-69.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 R$96.5

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-78.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 R$205

$102 ISK 12.4K

-60.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

$50.1 ISK 6,074

-40.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.31

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-65.95%

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

$659 R$3,339

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-44.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 R$37.0K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-71.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$149 ISK 18.1K

-57.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 R$160

$66.6 ISK 8,080

-52.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 R$343

$180 ISK 21.8K

-62.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.84 R$248

$253 ISK 30.7K

-80.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 R$1,899

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-85.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,199

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-88.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 R$4,620

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-73.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-75.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,275 R$6,465

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

-84.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 R$3,989

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

-87.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

-82.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.81

21.11%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$237 26.7%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 769% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$170 19.2%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 267% $453

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 67.3% $87

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.9%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 409% $431

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 44.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$95 10.8%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 206% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$54 6.1%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 162% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $375 in Macaé and $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 465% 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 Macaé vs $122 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $623 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

3 h ahead of Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macaé Reykjavik 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

Macaé vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Reykjavik differ by about 352% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $4,002 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 465% 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: $375 in Macaé versus $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $122 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $885 per month in Macaé versus $4,002 in Reykjavik – a 352% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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, Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 352% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.