Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,244 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,100 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
Learn more

Cafayate Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Cafayate

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,244 in Cafayate, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Cafayate $1,244

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,042 in Cafayate, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Cafayate $2,042

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,839 in Cafayate, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Cafayate $2,839

Reykjavik costs about 222% more than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Cafayate is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$16.65 ARS 25.3K

89.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$57.2 ARS 86.8K

113.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$12.70 ARS 19.3K

111.50%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$3.79 ARS 5,758

79.68%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$2.17 ARS 3,299

56.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.83 ARS 2,778

74.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$4.01 ARS 6,086

252.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$4.21 ARS 6,395

192.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.25 ARS 1,894

68.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$2.48 ARS 3,768

68.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$2.03 ARS 3,076

83.25%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.79 ARS 4,232

152.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$9.95 ARS 15.1K

116.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$8.36 ARS 12.7K

195.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

253.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.54 ARS 3,862

27.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.31 ARS 3,498

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.75 ARS 2,655

81.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.66 ARS 4,039

148.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.02 ARS 1,548

277.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$0.90 ARS 1,365

84.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.72 ARS 2,612

1.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$3.79 ARS 5,754

261.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$5.24 ARS 7,945

362.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.11 ARS 3,202

67.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$3.19 ARS 4,842

4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$1.09 ARS 1,647

427.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.70 ARS 2,579

288.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.34 ARS 2,036

55.97%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$31.5K ARS 47.8M

62.09%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$38.1K ARS 57.8M

39.87%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$107 ARS 161.9K

-10.71%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$19.80 ARS 30.1K

63.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$25.60 ARS 38.9K

241.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$31.21 ARS 47.4K

226.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

151.65%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$255 ARS 387.5K

367.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$96.3 ARS 146.1K

54.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$121 ARS 183.1K

49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$120 ARS 182.4K

110.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$443 ARS 671.6K

476.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$362 ARS 549.4K

467.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$1,042 ARS 1.6M

235.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$798 ARS 1.2M

246.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Cafayate

$362 29.1% 82.4% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Cafayate

$264 * 21.2% 57.6% $359

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Cafayate

$261 21% 51.3% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Cafayate

$152 * 12.2% 48% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Cafayate

$152 12.2% 29.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Cafayate

$47 3.8% 66.8% $95

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Cafayate

$6 * 0.5% 95.6% $132

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $443 in Cafayate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Reykjavik versus $57.0 in Cafayate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $264 – making Cafayate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

14,850

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Cafayate 10,730 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Cafayate

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 Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,002 in Reykjavik, $1,244 in Cafayate – roughly 222% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,866 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cafayate, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Reykjavik and $57.0 in Cafayate. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 136% more in Reykjavik, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cafayate, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Cafayate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Reykjavik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Cafayate to $4,002 in Reykjavik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Cafayate. 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.