Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Belem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Reykjavik and in Belem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $937 in Belem.

Reykjavik $4,037
Belem $937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,424 in Belem.

Reykjavik $5,666
Belem $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $1,911 in Belem.

Reykjavik $7,295
Belem $1,911

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 331% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Belem is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$4.94 R$24.66

519.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$20.41 R$102

563.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$6.80 R$33.96

298.24%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$1.90 R$9.48

253.68%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.06 R$5.28

208.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.51 R$2.56

519.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$1.59 R$7.91

774.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$2.36 R$11.80

411.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.40 R$7.01

45.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.48 R$12.40

74.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.32 R$6.59

178.03%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.14 R$10.71

228.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$9.20 R$45.91

139.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$4.53 R$22.64

445.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$7.55 R$37.70

465.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.30 R$11.49

46.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.43 R$7.15

99.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.49 R$7.42

112.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.75 R$8.73

265.14%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.09 R$5.45

267.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$0.63 R$3.14

160.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.29 R$6.45

194.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.43 R$7.13

21.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$2.65 R$13.21

420.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$9.94 R$49.60

135.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.45 R$7.25

143.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$5.07 R$25.31

-31.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$0.97 R$4.82

494.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$34.73 R$173

173.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.17 R$5.86

466.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$1.17 R$5.83

138.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$8.36 R$41.71

873.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.32 R$6.57

59.85%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$23.9K R$119.3K

112.66%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$32.5K R$162.3K

62.18%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$98.6 R$492

-10.03%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$11.52 R$57.5

173.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$31.16 R$156

171.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$21.62 R$108

364.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$39.31 R$196

22.62%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$7.82 R$39.04

154.09%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$111 R$556

1047.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$3,464 R$17.3K

793.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$32.02 R$160

402.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$45.64 R$228

42.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$83.2 R$415

119.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$66.9 R$334

279.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$529 R$2,642

372.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$290 R$1,450

588.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$889 R$4,436

288.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$538 R$2,684

410.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,003 R$9,997

299.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$1,403 R$7,005

345.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$422 R$2,105

1012.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.48

-23.26%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Belem

$290 30.8% 85.5% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Belem

$225 23.8% 64.1% $400

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Belem

$102 10.8% 80.7% $424

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Belem

$103 10.9% 65.6% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Belem

$141 15% 31% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Belem

$37 4% 73.4% $103

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Belem

$46 4.8% 67.2% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $529 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 1012% 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: $136 in Reykjavik vs $20.00 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $225 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

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).

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).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Belem 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Belem

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

Reykjavik vs Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 331% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1012% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $529 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 174% less than in Reykjavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,277 in Reykjavik versus $111 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Reykjavik, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 331% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.