Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Cape Town $3,307

Reykjavik costs about 157% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reykjavik and Cape Town sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$11.78 R 195

159.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$46.55 R 772

191.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$5.96 R 98.9

354.36%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$2.47 R 41.01

172.06%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.33 R 22.03

145.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.03 R 17.08

206.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$3.01 R 49.98

362.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$3.66 R 60.8

229.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.39 R 23.08

46.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$1.19 R 19.70

263.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.11 R 35.02

73.93%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$3.01 R 49.84

133.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$8.96 R 149

145.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$6.65 R 110

271.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$9.29 R 154

359.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$1.83 R 30.28

84.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.90 R 31.47

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.75 R 28.98

81.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$2.09 R 34.59

205.74%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.55 R 25.78

158.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.49 R 24.65

10.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.30 R 21.53

192.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.16 R 19.29

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$3.71 R 61.5

271.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$6.06 R 101

285.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.39 R 22.97

153.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.20 R 36.51

56.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$1.51 R 25.11

282.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$61.0 R 1,011

56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$0.63 R 10.38

952.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

$1.53 R 25.42

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

$4.81 R 79.8

1591.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.58 R 26.22

33.54%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$35.5K R 588.7K

43.15%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$31.7K R 526.6K

66.11%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$116 R 1,930

-23.81%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$28.37 R 471

11.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$40.69 R 675

108.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$48.85 R 810

105.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$11.13 R 185

333.06%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$8.83 R 146

125.03%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

$261 R 4,336

388.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$6,702 R 111.2K

361.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$55.4 R 919

190.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$32.27 R 535

101.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$118 R 1,949

55.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$107 R 1,775

137.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$1,015 R 16.8K

146.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$715 R 11.9K

179.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$1,801 R 29.9K

91.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$1,330 R 22.1K

106.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

$2,331 R 38.7K

243.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

$1,513 R 25.1K

313.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$1,636 R 27.1K

186.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

10.97

-19.69%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 64.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 64.4% $403

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Cape Town

$174 11% 67% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 52.9% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 9.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 52.5% $74

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 45.8% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 187% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

2 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Cape Town 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 157% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,037 in Reykjavik and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 157%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $4,037 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cape Town. 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.