Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,094 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,300 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
54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in La Serena

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,094 in La Serena, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
La Serena $1,094

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,814 in La Serena, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
La Serena $1,814

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,534 in La Serena, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
La Serena $2,534

Reykjavik costs about 269% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while La Serena is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$7.53 CLP 7,339

306.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$48.88 CLP 47.7K

177.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$8.16 CLP 7,956

231.86%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.91 CLP 2,835

130.93%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.10 CLP 1,074

197.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.64 CLP 626

393.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$2.11 CLP 2,053

559.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$3.82 CLP 3,727

215.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.25 CLP 1,216

63.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.38 CLP 2,320

81.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.53 CLP 1,492

139.87%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$3.86 CLP 3,761

81.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$12.43 CLP 12.1K

77.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$5.99 CLP 5,836

312.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$12.72 CLP 12.4K

235.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$1.82 CLP 1,777

85.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.78 CLP 1,733

60.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.28 CLP 1,251

147.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.43 CLP 1,391

346.85%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.15 CLP 1,118

248.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.22 CLP 1,191

34.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.02 CLP 999

272.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.92 CLP 896

89.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$5.30 CLP 5,164

160.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$5.18 CLP 5,055

351.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$0.96 CLP 939

267.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.08 CLP 2,028

65.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.04 CLP 1,015

454.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$35.64 CLP 34.8K

166.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$0.70 CLP 680

847.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$2.04 CLP 1,994

36.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$12.37 CLP 12.1K

557.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.43 CLP 1,391

47.55%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$20.4K CLP 19.9M

148.87%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$12.6K CLP 12.3M

317.03%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$89.2 CLP 86.9K

-0.56%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$11.07 CLP 10.8K

184.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$21.51 CLP 21.0K

293.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$86.5 CLP 84.3K

16.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$20.92 CLP 20.4K

130.40%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$8.13 CLP 7,929

144.40%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$44.32 CLP 43.2K

262.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$61.4 CLP 59.9K

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$92.2 CLP 89.9K

98.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$105 CLP 102.0K

142.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$429 CLP 418.2K

482.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$323 CLP 314.8K

519.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$898 CLP 876.1K

284.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$728 CLP 709.8K

276.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,070 CLP 2.0M

286.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$1,353 CLP 1.3M

361.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$718 CLP 700.2K

553.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

6.5

35.54%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

La Serena

$323 29% 83.9% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

La Serena

$236 21.1% 62.3% $389

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

La Serena

$145 13% 72.5% $381

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

La Serena

$136 12.2% 54.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

La Serena

$122 10.9% 40.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

La Serena

$103 9.2% 26.7% $37

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

La Serena

$51 4.6% 63.5% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $429 in La Serena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 553% higher in Reykjavik, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik versus $49.00 in La Serena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $236 – making La Serena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

195,382

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik La Serena 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
La Serena

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 La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 269%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $1,642 in La Serena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,037 in Reykjavik and $1,094 in La Serena. That's a gap of about 269%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik and $49.00 in La Serena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,094, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Serena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 La Serena. 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.