Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $994 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,500 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

Jump to prices

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Brasilia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $994 in Brasilia.

Reykjavik $4,037
Brasilia $994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,593 in Brasilia.

Reykjavik $5,666
Brasilia $1,593

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

Reykjavik $7,295
Brasilia $2,193

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 306% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Brasilia is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$9.18 R$45.81

233.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$40.43 R$202

235.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$8.44 R$42.12

220.85%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.73 R$13.62

146.15%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.51 R$7.55

116.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.99 R$4.96

219.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$2.37 R$11.83

486.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$3.95 R$19.72

205.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.11 R$5.52

83.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.06 R$10.27

109.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.34 R$6.68

173.88%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.56 R$12.79

174.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$11.60 R$57.9

89.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$4.15 R$20.69

495.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$9.27 R$46.27

360.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.39 R$11.92

41.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.55 R$7.73

83.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.30 R$6.51

143.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.65 R$8.25

287.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.19 R$5.96

236.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.04 R$5.19

57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$0.83 R$4.12

357.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.96 R$4.77

81.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$2.43 R$12.11

467.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$8.15 R$40.66

186.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.29 R$6.43

173.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.50 R$12.50

38.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.07 R$5.33

439.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$35.76 R$179

166.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.10 R$5.50

502.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$0.86 R$4.32

224.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$6.56 R$32.73

1140.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.29 R$6.44

63.57%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$23.9K R$119.5K

112.28%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$33.6K R$167.6K

57.09%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$97.6 R$487

-9.16%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$12.78 R$63.8

146.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$22.79 R$114

271.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$34.48 R$172

191.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$28.17 R$141

71.10%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$7.80 R$38.93

154.74%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$844 R$4,211

51.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$16.8K R$83.6K

84.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$56.7 R$283

183.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$43.89 R$219

47.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$86.3 R$431

111.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$89.3 R$446

184.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$498 R$2,484

402.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$282 R$1,406

610.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$1,156 R$5,772

198.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$574 R$2,863

378.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,497 R$12.5K

220.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$1,735 R$8,660

260.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$848 R$4,233

453.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

12.12

-27.31%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Brasilia

$282 27.9% 85.9% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Brasilia

$213 21.2% 65.8% $412

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Brasilia

$161 16% 69.3% $365

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Brasilia

$124 12.3% 58.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Brasilia

$133 13.2% 35% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Brasilia

$50 5% 64.3% $90

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 67.3% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $498 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 453% 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 $40.00 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $213 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 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 = 7.32 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).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Brasilia 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik and Brasilia differ by about 306% in total monthly costs ($4,037 vs $994 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 453% 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 $498 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $136 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,037 per month in Reykjavik versus $994 in Brasilia – a 306% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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, Reykjavik and Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 306% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.