Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Belo Horizonte

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $984 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Belo Horizonte
🇧🇷 Brazil
$984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Belo Horizonte

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 Belo Horizonte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $984 in Belo Horizonte.

  • Reykjavik $4,037
  • Belo Horizonte $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,589 in Belo Horizonte.

  • Reykjavik $5,666
  • Belo Horizonte $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $2,193 in Belo Horizonte.

  • Reykjavik $7,295
  • Belo Horizonte $2,193

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 310% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Belo Horizonte is 27% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.59 ISK 3,730
$5.90 R$29.46
418.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$136 ISK 16.5K
$37.35 R$186
262.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$27.08 ISK 3,302
$8.86 R$44.22
205.64%
Cappuccino
$6.72 ISK 819
$2.27 R$11.36
196.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 ISK 399
$1.43 R$7.13
128.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ISK 386
$0.81 R$4.05
290.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.91 ISK 1,696
$2.12 R$10.60
556.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.06 ISK 1,470
$3.67 R$18.32
228.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 ISK 248
$0.95 R$4.72
114.74%
White Bread (500g)
$4.32 ISK 527
$1.82 R$9.09
137.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 ISK 447
$2.08 R$10.39
76.44%
Eggs
$7.02 ISK 856
$2.22 R$11.07
216.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.01 ISK 2,684
$9.91 R$49.47
122.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.70 ISK 3,012
$4.33 R$21.63
470.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.66 ISK 5,202
$7.63 R$38.10
459.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 ISK 412
$1.93 R$9.66
74.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.85 ISK 347
$1.15 R$5.75
147.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.17 ISK 387
$1.20 R$5.98
164.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.39 ISK 779
$1.65 R$8.23
287.27%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 ISK 489
$1.15 R$5.74
248.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 ISK 200
$0.97 R$4.86
69.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.80 ISK 463
$0.85 R$4.23
347.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ISK 212
$0.92 R$4.58
89.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.80 ISK 1,682
$2.47 R$12.33
458.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.38 ISK 2,851
$8.23 R$41.09
184.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 ISK 430
$1.43 R$7.15
146.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 ISK 420
$2.74 R$13.68
25.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.77 ISK 704
$1.25 R$6.26
361.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
$68.0 R$339
39.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.63 ISK 808
$1.02 R$5.10
550.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.79 ISK 341
$0.77 R$3.84
262.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.4 ISK 9,923
$6.32 R$31.53
1187.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 ISK 257
$1.32 R$6.58
59.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
$24.0K R$119.9K
111.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
$32.5K R$162.1K
62.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
$76.1 R$380
16.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.53 ISK 3,845
$10.33 R$51.6
205.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
$21.02 R$105
302.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$100 ISK 12.2K
$28.07 R$140
257.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.20 ISK 5,877
$46.30 R$231
4.10%
Cinema Ticket
$19.87 ISK 2,424
$7.90 R$39.41
151.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
$459 R$2,292
178.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
$13.8K R$69.0K
123.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$161 ISK 19.6K
$62.0 R$309
159.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.9 ISK 7,914
$48.86 R$244
32.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$183 ISK 22.3K
$97.6 R$487
87.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$254 ISK 31.0K
$71.5 R$357
254.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
$590 R$2,945
323.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
$292 R$1,456
585.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
$890 R$4,440
288.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
$591 R$2,950
364.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
$2,358 R$11.8K
239.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
$1,121 R$5,598
457.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Reykjavik
Belo Horizonte
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
$613 R$3,062
664.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.81
11.25
-21.69%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
$2K
Belo Horizonte
$292 85.4% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
$625
Belo Horizonte
$198 68.4% $427
Eating Out
Reykjavik
$526
Belo Horizonte
$128 75.7% $398
Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
$298
Belo Horizonte
$126 57.7% $172
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
$205
Belo Horizonte
$107 47.5% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
$140
Belo Horizonte
$44 68.7% $96
Getting Around
Reykjavik
$139
Belo Horizonte
$78 43.9% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $590 in Belo Horizonte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 665% 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 $37.00 in Belo Horizonte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $198 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte
🕒 Local time
09:52 9:52 AM
06:52 6:52 AM
3 h behind Reykjavik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,894 Capital
2,315,560
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

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 = 7.32 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Reykjavik Belo Horizonte 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Reykjavik
  • Belo Horizonte

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 Belo Horizonte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Reykjavik and in Belo Horizonte?
Reykjavik and Belo Horizonte differ by about 310% in total monthly costs ($4,037 vs $984 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Reykjavik or Belo Horizonte?
Average pay runs 665% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Reykjavik and in Belo Horizonte?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $590 in Belo Horizonte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Reykjavik and Belo Horizonte?
Childcare runs $1,277 in Reykjavik versus $459 in Belo Horizonte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 216% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $984 in Belo Horizonte versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Reykjavik and Belo Horizonte?
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.
Is Reykjavik or Belo Horizonte safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Belo Horizonte are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Reykjavik or Belo Horizonte?
Expats usually find Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 310% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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