Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,035 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Curitiba
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Curitiba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $1,035 in Curitiba.

  • Reykjavik $4,037
  • Curitiba $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,617 in Curitiba.

  • Reykjavik $5,666
  • Curitiba $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $2,199 in Curitiba.

  • Reykjavik $7,295
  • Curitiba $2,199

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 290% more expensive than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Curitiba is 23% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.59 ISK 3,730
$8.04 R$40.15
280.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$136 ISK 16.5K
$40.63 R$203
233.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$27.08 ISK 3,302
$9.14 R$45.64
196.28%
Cappuccino
$6.72 ISK 819
$2.71 R$13.55
147.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 ISK 399
$1.16 R$5.77
181.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ISK 386
$0.90 R$4.47
251.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.91 ISK 1,696
$2.74 R$13.66
407.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.06 ISK 1,470
$4.08 R$20.38
195.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 ISK 248
$1.10 R$5.47
85.45%
White Bread (500g)
$4.32 ISK 527
$1.85 R$9.23
133.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 ISK 447
$1.35 R$6.73
171.85%
Eggs
$7.02 ISK 856
$2.49 R$12.42
181.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.01 ISK 2,684
$10.30 R$51.4
113.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.70 ISK 3,012
$4.93 R$24.59
401.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.66 ISK 5,202
$10.54 R$52.6
304.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 ISK 412
$1.75 R$8.75
92.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.85 ISK 347
$1.12 R$5.57
154.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.17 ISK 387
$1.00 R$5.01
217.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.39 ISK 779
$1.35 R$6.73
373.33%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 ISK 489
$0.86 R$4.27
366.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 ISK 200
$0.78 R$3.92
110.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.80 ISK 463
$0.73 R$3.66
420.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ISK 212
$0.83 R$4.15
109.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.80 ISK 1,682
$3.05 R$15.21
352.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.38 ISK 2,851
$7.64 R$38.12
206.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 ISK 430
$1.30 R$6.49
171.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 ISK 420
$2.44 R$12.16
41.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.77 ISK 704
$1.17 R$5.83
393.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
$73.4 R$367
29.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.63 ISK 808
$1.32 R$6.61
402.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.79 ISK 341
$0.81 R$4.07
244.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.4 ISK 9,923
$5.98 R$29.85
1260.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 ISK 257
$1.36 R$6.79
55.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
$23.4K R$117.0K
116.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
$33.4K R$166.8K
57.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
$103 R$516
-14.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.53 ISK 3,845
$14.97 R$74.7
110.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
$23.58 R$118
258.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$100 ISK 12.2K
$29.27 R$146
242.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.20 ISK 5,877
$20.06 R$100
140.28%
Cinema Ticket
$19.87 ISK 2,424
$7.64 R$38.14
160.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
$379 R$1,894
236.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
$11.2K R$55.7K
177.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$161 ISK 19.6K
$56.5 R$282
184.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.9 ISK 7,914
$56.0 R$280
15.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$183 ISK 22.3K
$97.4 R$486
87.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$254 ISK 31.0K
$80.1 R$400
216.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
$520 R$2,596
380.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
$300 R$1,499
566.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
$827 R$4,128
317.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
$545 R$2,723
402.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
$2,450 R$12.2K
226.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
$1,755 R$8,762
256.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Reykjavik
Curitiba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
$689 R$3,438
581.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.81
11.54
-23.66%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
$2K
Curitiba
$300 85% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
$625
Curitiba
$202 67.7% $423
Eating Out
Reykjavik
$526
Curitiba
$154 70.6% $372
Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
$298
Curitiba
$130 56.2% $168
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
$205
Curitiba
$142 30.7% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
$140
Curitiba
$45 68.2% $96
Getting Around
Reykjavik
$139
Curitiba
$84 39.8% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $520 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 581% 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 $41.00 in Curitiba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $202 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🇧🇷 Curitiba
🕒 Local time
10:48 10:48 AM
07:48 7:48 AM
3 h behind Reykjavik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,894 Capital
1,773,718
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Reykjavik Curitiba 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Reykjavik
  • Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Reykjavik or Curitiba?
Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 290% lower than in Reykjavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Reykjavik or in Curitiba?
Average pay runs 581% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Reykjavik compared to Curitiba?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $520 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Reykjavik compared to Curitiba?
A monthly transit pass in Curitiba runs roughly 30% less than in Reykjavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Reykjavik and in Curitiba?
Childcare runs $1,277 in Reykjavik versus $379 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Reykjavik or in Curitiba?
At $1,035 in Curitiba versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Curitiba but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Curitiba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Reykjavik or Curitiba?
Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,035 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.
How safe is Reykjavik compared to Curitiba?
Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Curitiba are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Curitiba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 290% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Reykjavik vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?