Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Contenda

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $870 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Contenda

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $870 in Contenda, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Contenda $870

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,325 in Contenda, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Contenda $1,325

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,780 in Contenda, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Contenda $1,780

Reykjavik costs about 360% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Contenda is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,834

$3.92 R$19.65

705.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.9K

$11.83 R$59.4

934.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,263

$8.16 R$40.93

229.17%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 828

$2.40 R$12.05

183.75%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.38 R$6.94

145.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 389

$0.61 R$3.07

424.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,717

$1.96 R$9.82

621.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,495

$1.96 R$9.83

528.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.07 R$5.36

96.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 509

$1.63 R$8.17

157.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 452

$1.34 R$6.71

177.61%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 857

$2.57 R$12.88

174.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,619

$9.99 R$50.1

115.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,998

$3.96 R$19.86

523.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,125

$8.05 R$40.41

424.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 393

$2.44 R$12.25

32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 332

$1.19 R$5.97

129.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 385

$1.18 R$5.90

168.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 804

$1.38 R$6.94

378.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$0.97 R$4.89

296.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$0.93 R$4.68

78.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$0.82 R$4.11

363.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.72 R$3.60

143.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,665

$3.02 R$15.16

353.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,942

$3.96 R$19.86

511.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 429

$1.48 R$7.40

138.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 403

$2.02 R$10.13

64.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 698

$0.99 R$4.98

480.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$43.35 R$218

116.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 804

$1.19 R$5.96

455.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.03 R$5.16

181.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,617

$10.19 R$51.1

676.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 254

$1.22 R$6.12

71.31%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$18.3K R$91.7K

179.18%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$21.8K R$109.4K

144.23%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$84.0 R$422

13.35%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,929

$8.20 R$41.16

294.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$20.25 R$102

332.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$26.41 R$133

285.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,083

$27.34 R$137

83.17%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,415

$8.14 R$40.85

144.23%

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

$1,194 ISK 145.0K

$284 R$1,425

320.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$11.1K R$55.7K

128.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$66.3 R$332

124.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,093

$71.0 R$356

-6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.9K

$114 R$573

57.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.8K

$70.9 R$356

257.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.7K

$343 R$1,719

644.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.8K

$226 R$1,133

810.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.9K

$743 R$3,725

371.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.7K

$424 R$2,129

551.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 986.4K

$1,493 R$7,488

444.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 759.7K

$1,359 R$6,819

360.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 555.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

10.61

-16.97%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Contenda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Contenda

$226 26% 89% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Contenda

$183 21.1% 70.5% $439

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Contenda

$106 12.2% 80.2% $430

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Contenda

$145 16.7% 50.3% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Contenda

$113 12.9% 47.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Contenda

$43 4.9% 69.9% $99

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Contenda

$54 6.2% 61.1% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $343 in Contenda. 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 $12.00 in Contenda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $183 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Contenda

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

19,128

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Contenda 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Contenda

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 Contenda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 360% more than Contenda, 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 $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,304 in Contenda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $284 in Contenda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 239% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contenda, where all-in costs run around $870, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Contenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Contenda costs $870 versus $4,002 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 Contenda. 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.