Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Canelones

For one person, living is cheaper in Canelones: $1,997 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Canelones
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Canelones Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

Canelones

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Canelones

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

A single person spends $4,023 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,997 in Canelones, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,023
Canelones $1,997

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,195 in Canelones, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,708
Canelones $2,195

A family of three spends $7,393 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,394 in Canelones, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,393
Canelones $2,394

Reykjavik costs about 101% more than Canelones, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reykjavik and Canelones sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 197%, Canelones by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 ISK 3,760

$14.97 UYU 601

107.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$50.3 UYU 2,018

145.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.21 ISK 3,300

$14.33 UYU 575

89.88%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 837

$4.05 UYU 163

70.37%

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

$3.30 ISK 401

$2.72 UYU 109

21.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 384

$2.07 UYU 83.1

52.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.84 ISK 1,678

$4.62 UYU 185

199.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.46 ISK 1,512

$2.96 UYU 119

320.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ISK 250

$1.38 UYU 55.6

49.28%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$2.83 UYU 114

45.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.72 UYU 68.9

113.95%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 882

$4.44 UYU 178

63.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.79 ISK 2,643

$13.98 UYU 561

55.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.95 ISK 2,905

$11.55 UYU 464

107.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.43 ISK 5,025

$11.93 UYU 479

247.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ISK 414

$2.76 UYU 111

23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ISK 344

$2.76 UYU 111

2.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 391

$1.74 UYU 69.6

85.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 ISK 783

$3.20 UYU 128

101.87%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 ISK 491

$1.91 UYU 76.5

112.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 202

$2.07 UYU 83.3

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 ISK 468

$1.38 UYU 55.5

179.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 223

$1.91 UYU 76.6

-3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ISK 1,693

$5.49 UYU 220

154.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.76 ISK 2,882

$8.55 UYU 343

177.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$2.36 UYU 94.7

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ISK 418

$2.83 UYU 113

21.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ISK 815

$1.91 UYU 76.6

251.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ISK 340

$0.40 UYU 16.04

602.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.3 ISK 9,866

$10.60 UYU 426

667.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$1.91 UYU 76.8

10.99%

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

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

$26.0K UYU 1.0M

165.33%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

56.26%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$191 UYU 7,674

-49.89%

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

$33.11 ISK 4,016

$20.54 UYU 824

61.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

$45.11 UYU 1,810

93.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

$68.4 UYU 2,747

47.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 ISK 2,407

$12.45 UYU 500

59.44%

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

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

$627 UYU 25.2K

90.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$11.0K UYU 443.0K

137.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$102 UYU 4,090

45.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,096

$49.03 UYU 1,968

36.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ISK 22.6K

$111 UYU 4,453

68.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.6K

$132 UYU 5,303

91.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

$878 UYU 35.2K

136.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

$3,960 UYU 158.9K

100.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

$873 UYU 35.0K

437.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.74

53.48%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 20, 2026

Last update for Canelones: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

Canelones

$878 44% 57.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$619 15.4%

Canelones

$328 16.4% 47% $291

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$532 13.2%

Canelones

$260 13% 51.2% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

Canelones

$177 8.9% 39.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$216 5.4%

Canelones

$257 12.9% 18.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$141 3.5%

Canelones

$93 4.7% 33.7% $47

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Canelones

$3.9 * 0.2% 97.2% $135

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 438% 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 $123 in Reykjavik versus $50.0 in Canelones. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $328 – making Canelones the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇺🇾 Canelones

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

19,865

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Canelones 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Canelones

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 Canelones: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,034 per month in Reykjavik and $2,996 in Canelones. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,023 in Reykjavik and $1,997 in Canelones. That's a gap of about 101%.

Kindergarten costs $1,195 per month in Reykjavik and $627 in Canelones. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Canelones, where all-in costs run around $1,997, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In Canelones it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Canelones – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Canelones. 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.