Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Nosara $3,712

Reykjavik costs about 120% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reykjavik and Nosara sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$12.22 ₡5,509

150.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

125.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$7.54 ₡3,399

259.15%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$4.31 ₡1,941

55.92%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.72 ₡773

90.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.35 ₡608

134.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$3.24 ₡1,459

329.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$4.48 ₡2,018

169.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.57 ₡707

29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$3.17 ₡1,429

36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.42 ₡1,091

51.65%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$3.57 ₡1,609

96.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$7.43 ₡3,349

196.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$10.42 ₡4,697

137.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$13.66 ₡6,156

212.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$2.32 ₡1,044

45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.61 ₡728

77.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$4.74 ₡2,138

-33.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.66 ₡747

284.94%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$3.72 ₡1,679

7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$3.57 ₡1,611

-54.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.10 ₡497

245.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$2.55 ₡1,149

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$4.95 ₡2,232

178.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$20.01 ₡9,020

16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$2.79 ₡1,256

26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$3.53 ₡1,589

-2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$1.19 ₡537

384.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

32.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$2.24 ₡1,011

195.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

$1.55 ₡701

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

$8.86 ₡3,993

818.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.57 ₡708

34.39%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

133.07%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

52.26%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-5.12%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-10.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

64.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

40.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$35.44 ₡16.0K

36.00%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$7.84 ₡3,535

153.44%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

$490 ₡220.7K

160.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

160.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

200.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$55.8 ₡25.1K

16.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

130.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

221.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$786 ₡354.3K

218.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$780 ₡351.6K

156.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-10.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

94.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

14.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

420.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$876 ₡395.0K

435.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

8.62

2.20%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 61% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 44.1% $276

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 60.2% $316

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 59.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 12.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.9% $53

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.4% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $786 in Nosara. 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 435% 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 $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

6 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Nosara 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $4,037 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 Nosara. 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.