Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
Learn more

Los Ángeles Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Los Ángeles

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $925 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Los Ángeles $925

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,378 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Los Ángeles $1,378

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,831 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Los Ángeles $1,831

Reykjavik costs about 333% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Los Ángeles is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,834

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

153.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.9K

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

384.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,263

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

164.11%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 828

$2.03 CLP 1,996

235.47%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.50 CLP 1,474

126.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 389

$1.57 CLP 1,542

103.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,717

$2.47 CLP 2,437

472.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,495

$3.04 CLP 2,998

304.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.21 CLP 1,189

73.55%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 509

$2.80 CLP 2,756

49.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 452

$2.98 CLP 2,939

24.83%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 857

$4.33 CLP 4,269

62.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,619

$8.05 CLP 7,928

167.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,998

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

130.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,125

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

197.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 393

$2.63 CLP 2,587

22.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 332

$1.61 CLP 1,582

69.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 385

$2.71 CLP 2,673

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 804

$2.28 CLP 2,248

189.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.51 CLP 1,483

154.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.59 CLP 1,570

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.44 CLP 1,416

163.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.10 CLP 1,083

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,665

$5.67 CLP 5,586

141.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,942

$4.27 CLP 4,203

466.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 429

$0.99 CLP 978

256.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 403

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 698

$0.50 CLP 488

1050.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 804

$2.06 CLP 2,032

220.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,617

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 254

$1.26 CLP 1,245

65.87%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$123 CLP 120.9K

-22.36%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,929

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

320.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

26.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,083

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

387.63%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,415

$4.42 CLP 4,355

349.77%

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

$1,194 ISK 145.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,093

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.7K

$274 CLP 269.6K

831.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.8K

$228 CLP 224.2K

803.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.9K

$442 CLP 435.3K

691.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.7K

$337 CLP 331.6K

720.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 986.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 759.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 555.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 88.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 55.9% $348

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 65.5% $351

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 33.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 36.8% $52

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 97.1% $134

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $274 in Los Ángeles. 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $25.00 in Los Ángeles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $275 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

143,023

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Los Ángeles 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 333% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,387 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, 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 $4,002 in Reykjavik and $925 in Los Ángeles. That's a gap of about 333%.

Groceries cost about 127% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $4,002 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Los Ángeles. 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.