Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Bridgewater, NS

For one person, living is cheaper in Bridgewater, NS: $3,671 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Reykjavik despite lower rent and utilities.

Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Bridgewater, NS
🇨🇦 Canada
$3,671
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Bridgewater, NS

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,671 in Bridgewater, NS, rent included.

  • Reykjavik $4,037
  • Bridgewater, NS $3,671

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $4,033 in Bridgewater, NS, rent included.

  • Reykjavik $5,666
  • Bridgewater, NS $4,033

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $4,395 in Bridgewater, NS, rent included.

  • Reykjavik $7,295
  • Bridgewater, NS $4,395

Reykjavik costs about 10% more than Bridgewater, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reykjavik and Bridgewater, NS sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Bridgewater, NS by 174%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.59 ISK 3,730
$18.32 CA$26.11
66.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$136 ISK 16.5K
$65.7 CA$93.7
106.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$27.08 ISK 3,302
$10.36 CA$14.77
161.39%
Cappuccino
$6.72 ISK 819
$3.48 CA$4.96
93.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 ISK 399
$1.73 CA$2.46
89.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ISK 386
$1.85 CA$2.63
70.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.91 ISK 1,696
$4.47 CA$6.38
211.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.06 ISK 1,470
$5.47 CA$7.80
120.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 ISK 248
$2.13 CA$3.04
-4.23%
White Bread (500g)
$4.32 ISK 527
$2.67 CA$3.80
61.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 ISK 447
$3.34 CA$4.76
9.88%
Eggs
$7.02 ISK 856
$3.66 CA$5.22
91.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.01 ISK 2,684
$9.37 CA$13.36
134.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.70 ISK 3,012
$14.80 CA$21.09
66.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.66 ISK 5,202
$11.34 CA$16.16
276.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 ISK 412
$5.26 CA$7.49
-35.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.85 ISK 347
$1.55 CA$2.21
83.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.17 ISK 387
$4.70 CA$6.70
-32.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.39 ISK 779
$3.97 CA$5.66
60.96%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 ISK 489
$2.06 CA$2.94
94.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 ISK 200
$1.98 CA$2.82
-17.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.80 ISK 463
$2.47 CA$3.52
53.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ISK 212
$2.15 CA$3.06
-19.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.80 ISK 1,682
$11.05 CA$15.76
24.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.38 ISK 2,851
$14.28 CA$20.36
63.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 ISK 430
$2.86 CA$4.08
23.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 ISK 420
$3.75 CA$5.34
-8.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.77 ISK 704
$4.11 CA$5.86
40.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
$36.57 CA$52.1
160.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.63 ISK 808
$2.79 CA$3.98
137.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.79 ISK 341
$1.36 CA$1.94
105.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.4 ISK 9,923
$20.99 CA$29.92
287.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 ISK 257
$1.15 CA$1.64
83.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
$27.5K CA$39.1K
85.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
$19.1K CA$27.2K
176.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
$121 CA$172
-26.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.53 ISK 3,845
$41.54 CA$59.2
-24.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
$64.1 CA$91.3
32.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$100 ISK 12.2K
$40.11 CA$57.2
150.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.20 ISK 5,877
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$19.87 ISK 2,424
$10.34 CA$14.74
92.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
$141 CA$201
806.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
$13.0K CA$18.6K
137.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$161 ISK 19.6K
$36.96 CA$52.7
335.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.9 ISK 7,914
$29.25 CA$41.70
121.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$183 ISK 22.3K
$93.2 CA$133
96.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$254 ISK 31.0K
$116 CA$166
118.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
$1,722 CA$2,455
45.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
$2,521 CA$3,594
-20.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
$3,521 CA$5,019
-1.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
$1,778 CA$2,535
54.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Reykjavik
Bridgewater, NS
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
$2,350 CA$3,350
99.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.81
4.6
91.52%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bridgewater, NS: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
$2K
Bridgewater, NS
$2.5K 26.1% $521
Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
$625
Bridgewater, NS
$383 38.8% $243
Eating Out
Reykjavik
$526
Bridgewater, NS
$267 49.2% $259
Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
$298
Bridgewater, NS
$124 58.4% $174
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
$205
Bridgewater, NS
$226 10.4% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
$140
Bridgewater, NS
$61 56.6% $79
Getting Around
Reykjavik
$139
Bridgewater, NS
$63 54.9% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $1,722 in Bridgewater, NS. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 100% higher in Reykjavik, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik versus $66.0 in Bridgewater, NS. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $383 – making Bridgewater, NS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🇨🇦 Bridgewater, NS
🕒 Local time
10:39 10:39 AM
07:39 7:39 AM
3 h behind Reykjavik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,894 Capital
8,790
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Reykjavik Bridgewater, NS 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Reykjavik
  • Bridgewater, NS

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 Bridgewater, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Reykjavik or Bridgewater, NS?
Reykjavik costs about 10% more than Bridgewater, NS, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Reykjavik and in Bridgewater, NS?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $5,507 in Bridgewater, NS. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Reykjavik or Bridgewater, NS?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bridgewater, NS, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Reykjavik compared to Bridgewater, NS?
Public transport costs about 160% less in Bridgewater, NS. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Reykjavik and in Bridgewater, NS?
Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $141 in Bridgewater, NS. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Reykjavik or in Bridgewater, NS?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,037 in Reykjavik and $3,671 in Bridgewater, NS. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Reykjavik or Bridgewater, NS?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bridgewater, NS costs $3,671 versus $4,037 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Reykjavik compared to Bridgewater, NS?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Reykjavik or to Bridgewater, NS?
If budget matters most, go with Bridgewater, NS. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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