Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Mendoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendoza: $1,361 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $32,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Mendoza

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,361 in Mendoza, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Mendoza $1,361

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,195 in Mendoza, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Mendoza $2,195

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,029 in Mendoza, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Mendoza $3,029

Reykjavik costs about 197% more than Mendoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reykjavik and Mendoza sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Mendoza by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$10.87 ARS 16.5K

181.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$50.0 ARS 75.9K

170.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$14.90 ARS 22.6K

81.74%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$4.55 ARS 6,898

47.69%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.42 ARS 3,668

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.89 ARS 2,858

67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$4.05 ARS 6,135

243.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$4.60 ARS 6,971

162.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.34 ARS 2,033

52.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$2.27 ARS 3,437

90.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.67 ARS 4,051

37.45%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$3.19 ARS 4,843

120.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$14.61 ARS 22.2K

50.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$6.30 ARS 9,556

292.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$10.95 ARS 16.6K

289.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$2.32 ARS 3,512

45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$2.14 ARS 3,244

33.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.34 ARS 2,038

136.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$3.19 ARS 4,840

100.31%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$2.03 ARS 3,077

97.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.50 ARS 2,277

9.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.94 ARS 2,945

95.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$2.51 ARS 3,806

-30.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$2.80 ARS 4,244

392.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$5.03 ARS 7,625

364.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.79 ARS 2,711

97.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.93 ARS 4,445

17.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$0.97 ARS 1,472

494.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$19.83 ARS 30.1K

379.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$2.05 ARS 3,112

223.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

$1.02 ARS 1,541

173.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

$5.04 ARS 7,642

1514.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.21 ARS 1,831

74.38%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$26.7K ARS 40.4M

90.61%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$33.2K ARS 50.4M

58.70%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$143 ARS 217.2K

-38.12%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$17.59 ARS 26.7K

79.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$24.39 ARS 37.0K

247.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$31.80 ARS 48.2K

215.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$17.99 ARS 27.3K

167.93%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$7.16 ARS 10.9K

177.51%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

$173 ARS 262.6K

637.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$4,150 ARS 6.3M

645.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$127 ARS 192.9K

26.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$140 ARS 211.7K

-53.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$146 ARS 220.8K

25.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$161 ARS 244.7K

57.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$561 ARS 850.3K

345.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$340 ARS 515.7K

487.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$975 ARS 1.5M

254.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$682 ARS 1.0M

302.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

$1,699 ARS 2.6M

370.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

$1,115 ARS 1.7M

460.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$768 ARS 1.2M

510.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-85.07%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mendoza: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Mendoza

$340 24.7% 83% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Mendoza

$285 20.7% 54.3% $340

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Mendoza

$233 16.9% 55.7% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Mendoza

$258 18.7% 13.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Mendoza

$185 13.4% 9.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Mendoza

$46 3.3% 67.1% $94

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Mendoza

$31 2.2% 77.8% $108

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $561 in Mendoza. 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 511% 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 $50.0 in Mendoza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $285 – making Mendoza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

937,154

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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 = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Mendoza 11,540 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Mendoza

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 Mendoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 197%, 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 $2,042 in Mendoza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 380% less in Mendoza. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $173 in Mendoza. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mendoza, where all-in costs run around $1,361, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Mendoza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mendoza – 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 Mendoza. 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.