Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
Learn more

Joao Pessoa Living Index

Jump to prices

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa.

Reykjavik $4,037
Joao Pessoa $1,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,635 in Joao Pessoa.

Reykjavik $5,666
Joao Pessoa $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $2,210 in Joao Pessoa.

Reykjavik $7,295
Joao Pessoa $2,210

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 281% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Joao Pessoa is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$7.18 R$35.82

326.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$29.50 R$147

359.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$7.99 R$39.91

238.92%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$1.60 R$7.98

320.00%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.02 R$5.07

220.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.69 R$3.43

357.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$1.88 R$9.41

639.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$3.52 R$17.56

242.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.23 R$6.13

65.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.13 R$10.61

102.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.54 R$7.69

138.31%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.13 R$10.62

229.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$8.63 R$43.08

155.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$5.02 R$25.04

392.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$7.43 R$37.08

474.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$3.26 R$16.29

3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.02 R$5.10

179.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$0.92 R$4.61

244.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.18 R$5.87

441.53%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.64 R$8.17

144.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.26 R$6.31

30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$0.76 R$3.78

400.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.86 R$4.27

102.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$2.99 R$14.92

361.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$8.95 R$44.69

161.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.56 R$7.78

126.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$3.31 R$16.54

4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.02 R$5.10

465.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$70.5 R$352

35.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$2.01 R$10.04

229.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$1.97 R$9.86

41.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$3.25 R$16.24

2403.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.28 R$6.37

64.84%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$23.7K R$118.5K

114.12%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$33.2K R$165.5K

59.06%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$131 R$652

-32.08%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$23.38 R$117

34.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$24.22 R$121

249.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$38.84 R$194

158.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$29.64 R$148

62.62%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$10.88 R$54.3

82.63%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$441 R$2,204

189.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$6,925 R$34.6K

346.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$54.6 R$272

194.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$68.7 R$343

-5.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$89.5 R$447

104.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$77.3 R$386

228.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$404 R$2,014

519.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$266 R$1,328

651.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$662 R$3,303

421.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$523 R$2,609

424.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,432 R$12.1K

229.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$1,189 R$5,935

425.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$505 R$2,521

828.81%

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 Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3% 86.7% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6% 67% $418

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8% 76.5% $402

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4% 56.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9% 13% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8% 56.8% $80

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2% 37.8% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 829% 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 $29.00 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $207 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

833,932

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 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 = 7.31 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Joao Pessoa 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik and Joao Pessoa differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($4,037 vs $1,059 including rent). Joao Pessoa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 829% 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 $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,277 in Reykjavik versus $441 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 203% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.