Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,371 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,002 in Reykjavik versus $1,371 in Maldonado.

Reykjavik $4,002
Maldonado $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,705 in Reykjavik versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Reykjavik $5,705
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,407 in Reykjavik versus $2,985 in Maldonado.

Reykjavik $7,407
Maldonado $2,985

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 192% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Reykjavik 196% above, Maldonado 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$14.94 UYU 600

111.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$54.8 UYU 2,198

123.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$13.58 UYU 545

97.79%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$4.61 UYU 185

47.72%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$2.64 UYU 106

28.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$2.00 UYU 80.3

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$2.96 UYU 119

377.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$3.61 UYU 145

241.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.16 UYU 46.70

81.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$2.74 UYU 110

52.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.69 UYU 68.0

120.12%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$4.14 UYU 166

70.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$14.00 UYU 562

54.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$11.83 UYU 475

108.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$11.89 UYU 477

254.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.78 UYU 112

16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.15 UYU 86.4

26.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.77 UYU 71.1

79.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$3.20 UYU 129

106.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$2.02 UYU 81.0

90.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$2.09 UYU 84.1

-20.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.44 UYU 57.8

163.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.87 UYU 75.2

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$5.56 UYU 223

146.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$7.99 UYU 320

203.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.32 UYU 93.1

52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.71 UYU 109

22.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$1.42 UYU 57.0

304.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$50.1 UYU 2,011

87.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$3.39 UYU 136

94.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.41 UYU 16.27

607.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$9.89 UYU 397

700.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$2.14 UYU 85.8

-2.34%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

90.03%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

43.01%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$113 UYU 4,548

-15.94%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$19.05 UYU 765

69.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$44.11 UYU 1,770

98.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$48.11 UYU 1,931

111.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$30.02 UYU 1,205

66.82%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$12.36 UYU 496

60.84%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$488 UYU 19.6K

144.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

288.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$90.5 UYU 3,632

64.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$36.90 UYU 1,481

80.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$123 UYU 4,931

46.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$120 UYU 4,796

111.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$423 UYU 17.0K

503.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$318 UYU 12.8K

547.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$920 UYU 36.9K

280.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$590 UYU 23.7K

368.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

186.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

304.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

354.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

76.20%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Maldonado

$318 23.2% 84.5% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Maldonado

$321 23.4% 48.5% $302

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Maldonado

$256 18.7% 52.2% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Maldonado

$166 12.1% 43% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Maldonado

$176 12.9% 18% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Maldonado

$73 5.3% 48.6% $69

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Maldonado

$61 4.5% 55.6% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,549 in Reykjavik and $423 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 355% 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: $122 in Reykjavik vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $623 vs $321 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

01:49 1:49 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

62,592

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, 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).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Maldonado 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik and Maldonado differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($4,002 vs $1,371 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 355% 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: $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $423 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,194 in Reykjavik versus $488 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,371 in Maldonado versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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 Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.