Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,100 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 Lages
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Lages Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Lages

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

A single person spends $4,023 per month in Reykjavik vs $931 in Lages, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,023
Lages $931

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,494 in Lages, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,708
Lages $1,494

A family of three spends $7,393 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,058 in Lages, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,393
Lages $2,058

Reykjavik costs about 332% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 197% above the global median, while Lages is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 ISK 3,760

$7.95 R$40.28

289.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$39.35 R$199

213.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.21 ISK 3,300

$6.90 R$34.96

294.35%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 837

$2.52 R$12.77

173.81%

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

$3.30 ISK 401

$1.42 R$7.22

132.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 384

$1.06 R$5.39

198.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.84 ISK 1,678

$2.48 R$12.56

458.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.46 ISK 1,512

$2.98 R$15.10

318.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ISK 250

$1.00 R$5.07

106.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$1.68 R$8.52

144.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.09 R$5.51

237.61%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 882

$2.46 R$12.45

195.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.79 ISK 2,643

$10.28 R$52.1

111.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.95 ISK 2,905

$4.88 R$24.73

390.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.43 ISK 5,025

$9.90 R$50.2

318.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ISK 414

$2.45 R$12.42

39.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ISK 344

$1.52 R$7.69

86.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 391

$1.41 R$7.16

129.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 ISK 783

$1.62 R$8.20

298.77%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 ISK 491

$1.25 R$6.34

224.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 202

$1.08 R$5.47

53.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 ISK 468

$0.94 R$4.79

310.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 223

$0.81 R$4.11

127.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ISK 1,693

$2.54 R$12.87

449.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.76 ISK 2,882

$8.22 R$41.66

189.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$1.14 R$5.76

210.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ISK 418

$2.26 R$11.47

52.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

$1.00 R$5.09

481.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$44.06 R$223

116.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ISK 815

$1.28 R$6.51

425.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ISK 340

$0.81 R$4.12

246.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.3 ISK 9,866

$8.29 R$42.05

881.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$1.34 R$6.77

58.21%

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

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

$23.9K R$121.4K

187.89%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$33.4K R$169.4K

67.03%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$77.0 R$390

24.41%

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

$33.11 ISK 4,016

$12.30 R$62.4

169.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

$22.01 R$112

295.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

$25.95 R$132

289.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

$27.71 R$140

83.11%

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 ISK 2,407

$7.50 R$38.02

164.67%

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

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

$282 R$1,428

324.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$7,318 R$37.1K

258.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$50.3 R$255

194.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,096

$57.6 R$292

15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ISK 22.6K

$102 R$518

82.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.6K

$79.7 R$404

217.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

$362 R$1,833

613.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

$245 R$1,241

749.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

$681 R$3,454

406.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

$465 R$2,358

491.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

$1,705 R$8,643

365.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

$1,216 R$6,164

424.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.5

-23.39%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lages: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

Lages

$245 26.3% 88.2% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$619 15.4%

Lages

$207 22.3% 66.6% $412

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$532 13.2%

Lages

$143 15.3% 73.2% $390

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

Lages

$130 14% 55.7% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$216 5.4%

Lages

$111 12% 48.5% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$141 3.5%

Lages

$41 4.4% 70.9% $100

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Lages

$53 5.7% 61.7% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,579 in Reykjavik versus $362 in Lages. 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 $123 in Reykjavik versus $39.00 in Lages. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $207 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

164,981

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Lages 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Lages

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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,023 in Reykjavik, $931 in Lages – roughly 332% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,034 per month in Reykjavik and $1,396 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,195 per month in Reykjavik and $282 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 199% more in Reykjavik, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Reykjavik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Lages to $4,023 in Reykjavik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Lages. 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.