Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,371 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Maldonado versus $4,002 in Reykjavik.

Maldonado $1,371
Reykjavik $4,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $5,705 in Reykjavik.

Maldonado $2,178
Reykjavik $5,705

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,985 in Maldonado versus $7,407 in Reykjavik.

Maldonado $2,985
Reykjavik $7,407

Living in Maldonado costs roughly 66% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maldonado 2% above, Reykjavik 196% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 UYU 600

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-52.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 UYU 2,198

$122 ISK 14.8K

-55.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 UYU 545

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-49.44%

Cappuccino

$4.61 UYU 185

$6.81 ISK 827

-32.31%

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

$2.64 UYU 106

$3.39 ISK 411

-22.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.3

$3.20 ISK 388

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 UYU 119

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-79.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 UYU 145

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-70.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 UYU 46.70

$2.10 ISK 255

-44.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 UYU 110

$4.19 ISK 508

-34.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 68.0

$3.72 ISK 451

-54.57%

Eggs

$4.14 UYU 166

$7.05 ISK 856

-41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 UYU 562

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-35.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 UYU 475

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-52.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 UYU 477

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-71.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.23 ISK 392

-13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 UYU 86.4

$2.73 ISK 331

-21.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$3.17 ISK 384

-44.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$6.61 ISK 802

-51.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.0

$3.85 ISK 467

-47.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 UYU 84.1

$1.66 ISK 201

25.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 UYU 57.8

$3.80 ISK 461

-62.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 UYU 75.2

$1.75 ISK 212

6.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 UYU 223

$13.71 ISK 1,662

-59.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 UYU 320

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.1

$3.53 ISK 428

-34.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$3.32 ISK 402

-18.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 UYU 57.0

$5.75 ISK 697

-75.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 UYU 2,011

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

-46.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 UYU 136

$6.61 ISK 802

-48.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.27

$2.90 ISK 352

-85.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 UYU 397

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-87.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 UYU 85.8

$2.09 ISK 253

2.39%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-47.38%

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

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-30.07%

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

$113 UYU 4,548

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

18.96%

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

$19.05 UYU 765

$32.35 ISK 3,923

-41.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.11 UYU 1,770

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-49.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.11 UYU 1,931

$102 ISK 12.4K

-52.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.02 UYU 1,205

$50.1 ISK 6,074

-40.06%

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 UYU 496

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-37.83%

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

$488 UYU 19.6K

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-59.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-74.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 UYU 3,632

$149 ISK 18.1K

-39.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 UYU 1,481

$66.6 ISK 8,080

-44.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,931

$180 ISK 21.8K

-31.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 UYU 4,796

$253 ISK 30.7K

-52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 UYU 17.0K

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-83.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 UYU 12.8K

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-84.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 UYU 36.9K

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-73.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 UYU 23.7K

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-78.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

-65.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

-75.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

-78.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-43.25%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$321 23.4%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 94.2% $302

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$318 23.2%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 547% $1.7K

Eating Out

Maldonado

$256 18.7%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 109% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$176 12.9%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 21.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$166 12.1%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 75.5% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$73 5.3%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 94.5% $69

Getting Around

Maldonado

$61 4.5%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 125% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $423 in Maldonado and $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 355% 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: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $122 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $623 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

3 h ahead of Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 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 UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maldonado Reykjavik 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
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

Maldonado vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Reykjavik differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($1,371 vs $4,002 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 355% 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: $423 in Maldonado versus $2,549 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $488 in Maldonado versus $1,194 in Reykjavik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,371 in Maldonado versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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, Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.