Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Cotia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $933 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Cotia

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $933 in Cotia, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Cotia $933

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,523 in Cotia, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Cotia $1,523

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,113 in Cotia, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Cotia $2,113

Reykjavik costs about 329% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Cotia is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,834

$7.17 R$35.98

340.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.9K

$39.70 R$199

208.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,263

$8.86 R$44.44

203.16%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 828

$2.51 R$12.57

171.31%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.42 R$7.14

138.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 389

$1.15 R$5.78

178.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,717

$2.84 R$14.23

397.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,495

$4.42 R$22.20

178.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.19 R$5.99

76.47%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 509

$1.83 R$9.20

128.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 452

$1.18 R$5.90

215.25%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 857

$2.87 R$14.38

145.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,619

$12.07 R$60.6

78.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,998

$4.53 R$22.70

444.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,125

$11.13 R$55.9

279.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 393

$2.76 R$13.85

17.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 332

$1.85 R$9.27

47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 385

$1.61 R$8.08

96.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 804

$1.90 R$9.55

247.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.36 R$6.82

183.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.24 R$6.24

33.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$0.96 R$4.80

295.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.80 R$4.01

118.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,665

$2.82 R$14.16

386.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,942

$8.83 R$44.29

174.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 429

$1.67 R$8.36

111.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 403

$2.49 R$12.49

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 698

$1.00 R$5.04

475.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$48.26 R$242

94.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 804

$1.28 R$6.41

416.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.98 R$4.94

195.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,617

$9.67 R$48.54

718.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 254

$1.30 R$6.52

60.77%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$23.7K R$119.0K

115.13%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$34.4K R$172.4K

55.04%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$43.73 R$219

117.84%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,929

$14.60 R$73.3

121.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$18.30 R$91.8

378.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$27.03 R$136

276.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,083

$30.53 R$153

64.04%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,415

$7.86 R$39.46

152.93%

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

$1,194 ISK 145.0K

$438 R$2,197

172.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$7,677 R$38.5K

230.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$55.4 R$278

168.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,093

$59.8 R$300

11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.9K

$95.1 R$477

89.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.8K

$85.2 R$427

197.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.7K

$351 R$1,761

626.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.8K

$244 R$1,225

742.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.9K

$661 R$3,319

428.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.7K

$469 R$2,353

489.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 986.4K

$1,462 R$7,333

455.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 759.7K

$1,315 R$6,600

375.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 555.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.12

-20.77%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cotia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Cotia

$244 26.2% 88.1% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Cotia

$230 24.7% 63% $392

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Cotia

$147 15.8% 72.5% $389

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Cotia

$133 14.3% 54.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Cotia

$77 8.2% 64.4% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Cotia

$43 4.6% 69.8% $99

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Cotia

$58 6.3% 57.6% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $351 in Cotia. 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 $40.00 in Cotia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $230 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Cotia

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

274,413

💱 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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Between locations

Reykjavik Cotia 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Cotia

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 Cotia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 329% more than Cotia, 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 $1,399 in Cotia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotia, 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 $40.00 in Cotia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,002 in Reykjavik and $933 in Cotia. That's a gap of about 329%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cotia, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Cotia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cotia costs $933 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 Cotia. 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.