Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,002 in Reykjavik versus $961 in El Calafate.

Reykjavik $4,002
El Calafate $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,705 in Reykjavik versus $1,574 in El Calafate.

Reykjavik $5,705
El Calafate $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,407 in Reykjavik versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

Reykjavik $7,407
El Calafate $2,187

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 316% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 196% above, El Calafate is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

196.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

261.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

203.50%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$2.77 ARS 4,198

145.85%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.64 ARS 2,484

106.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.49 ARS 2,268

114.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$2.08 ARS 3,157

579.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$2.93 ARS 4,452

320.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.24 ARS 1,887

69.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.61 ARS 2,446

160.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.93 ARS 2,930

92.75%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.20 ARS 3,346

220.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

109.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$6.07 ARS 9,209

306.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

344.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$1.95 ARS 2,963

65.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.11 ARS 3,205

29.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.33 ARS 2,015

138.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.62 ARS 3,973

152.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.19 ARS 1,808

223.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.20 ARS 1,821

38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.30 ARS 1,973

192.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.48 ARS 2,245

18.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$3.16 ARS 4,800

333.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$4.97 ARS 7,536

387.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.06 ARS 3,133

71.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$3.16 ARS 4,799

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.76 ARS 1,159

656.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.51 ARS 2,293

337.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.87 ARS 1,322

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$5.89 ARS 8,934

1243.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.05 ARS 1,600

99.05%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

85.95%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

76.25%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

43.27%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

91.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

290.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

282.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

270.14%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$6.34 ARS 9,617

213.56%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$224 ARS 340.0K

432.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

848.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

105.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

-5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$114 ARS 173.7K

57.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$114 ARS 172.2K

123.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$342 ARS 518.6K

645.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$235 ARS 357.2K

773.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$695 ARS 1.1M

403.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$533 ARS 809.3K

418.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

337.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

290.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

58.5

-84.94%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

El Calafate

$235 24.5% 88.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

El Calafate

$231 24% 62.9% $392

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

El Calafate

$174 18.1% 67.6% $363

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 42.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

El Calafate

$106 11% 50.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

El Calafate

$39 4.1% 72.2% $102

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9% 93.5% $129

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,549 in Reykjavik and $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Reykjavik vs $34.00 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $623 vs $231 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

22,844

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik El Calafate 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik and El Calafate differ by about 316% in total monthly costs ($4,002 vs $961 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $6,003 in Reykjavik and $1,442 in El Calafate to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $342 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,194 in Reykjavik versus $224 in El Calafate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $122 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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 El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 316% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.