Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $40,500 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
Learn more

Caruaru Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Caruaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $665 in Caruaru.

Reykjavik $4,037
Caruaru $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,106 in Caruaru.

Reykjavik $5,666
Caruaru $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $1,547 in Caruaru.

Reykjavik $7,295
Caruaru $1,547

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 507% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Caruaru is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$5.95 R$29.70

414.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$29.63 R$148

357.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$8.08 R$40.35

235.15%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$1.53 R$7.62

339.22%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.06 R$5.27

208.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.70 R$3.50

351.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$1.74 R$8.71

699.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$2.33 R$11.63

417.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.23 R$6.13

65.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.12 R$5.62

285.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.38 R$6.88

165.94%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.09 R$10.43

235.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$4.54 R$22.65

384.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$5.07 R$25.31

387.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$7.68 R$38.34

455.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$1.38 R$6.89

144.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.02 R$5.07

179.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$0.86 R$4.27

268.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.13 R$5.63

465.49%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.64 R$8.20

144.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.24 R$6.19

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$0.76 R$3.78

400.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.89 R$4.45

95.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$3.05 R$15.23

352.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$7.83 R$39.10

198.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.53 R$7.66

130.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.44 R$12.18

41.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$0.93 R$4.62

520.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$26.88 R$134

253.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.22 R$6.09

443.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$1.94 R$9.69

43.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$3.11 R$15.51

2516.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.29 R$6.46

63.57%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$23.6K R$118.0K

114.95%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$33.1K R$165.1K

59.48%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$56.4 R$282

57.16%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$8.13 R$40.58

287.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$9.96 R$49.73

749.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$14.85 R$74.1

575.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$30.39 R$152

58.60%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$7.14 R$35.65

178.29%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$109 R$545

1069.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$6,766 R$33.8K

357.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$40.41 R$202

298.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$50.7 R$253

27.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$89.4 R$446

104.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$66.1 R$330

284.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$164 R$820

1421.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$132 R$657

1420.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$349 R$1,740

890.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$263 R$1,314

942.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$263 R$1,312

1684.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-19.91%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Caruaru: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Caruaru

$132 19.7% 93.4% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Caruaru

$171 25.5% 72.7% $454

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Caruaru

$111 16.5% 79% $415

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Caruaru

$111 16.6% 62.8% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Caruaru

$75 11.1% 63.6% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Caruaru

$29 4.4% 79.2% $111

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Caruaru

$42 6.2% 70.1% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $164 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 1685% 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 $30.00 in Caruaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $171 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

377,911

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Caruaru 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik and Caruaru differ by about 507% in total monthly costs ($4,037 vs $665 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1685% 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 $164 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,277 in Reykjavik versus $109 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 266% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 507% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.