Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Novo Hamburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Hamburgo: $776 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $39,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Novo Hamburgo
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Novo Hamburgo Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

Novo Hamburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Novo Hamburgo

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

A single person spends $4,023 per month in Reykjavik vs $776 in Novo Hamburgo, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,023
Novo Hamburgo $776

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,241 in Novo Hamburgo, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,708
Novo Hamburgo $1,241

A family of three spends $7,393 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,706 in Novo Hamburgo, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,393
Novo Hamburgo $1,706

Reykjavik costs about 419% more than Novo Hamburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 197% above the global median, while Novo Hamburgo is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 ISK 3,760

$4.88 R$24.74

535.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$18.79 R$95.3

555.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.21 ISK 3,300

$6.91 R$35.05

293.78%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 837

$1.58 R$7.99

336.71%

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

$3.30 ISK 401

$1.29 R$6.53

155.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 384

$0.89 R$4.50

255.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.84 ISK 1,678

$2.47 R$12.53

460.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.46 ISK 1,512

$2.98 R$15.11

318.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ISK 250

$0.94 R$4.75

119.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$1.69 R$8.54

143.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ISK 446

$0.78 R$3.95

371.79%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 882

$2.16 R$10.97

236.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.79 ISK 2,643

$9.19 R$46.58

137.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.95 ISK 2,905

$4.56 R$23.12

425.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.43 ISK 5,025

$7.14 R$36.22

480.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ISK 414

$2.39 R$12.12

43.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ISK 344

$1.10 R$5.60

158.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 391

$0.82 R$4.17

293.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 ISK 783

$1.32 R$6.70

389.39%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 ISK 491

$1.21 R$6.14

234.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 202

$0.98 R$4.97

69.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 ISK 468

$0.88 R$4.44

338.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 223

$0.58 R$2.94

217.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ISK 1,693

$1.78 R$9.02

684.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.76 ISK 2,882

$7.60 R$38.53

212.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$1.16 R$5.88

205.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ISK 418

$2.23 R$11.29

54.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

$0.83 R$4.20

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$43.74 R$222

117.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ISK 815

$1.26 R$6.40

433.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ISK 340

$0.79 R$4.03

255.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.3 ISK 9,866

$8.16 R$41.35

896.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$1.12 R$5.68

89.29%

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

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

$24.2K R$122.9K

184.35%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$33.3K R$168.9K

67.46%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$78.2 R$397

22.47%

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

$33.11 ISK 4,016

$12.71 R$64.4

160.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

$22.18 R$112

292.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

$26.30 R$133

284.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

$27.58 R$140

83.97%

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 ISK 2,407

$7.38 R$37.39

168.97%

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

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

$281 R$1,425

325.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$7,080 R$35.9K

270.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$46.87 R$238

216.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,096

$38.13 R$193

75.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ISK 22.6K

$80.3 R$407

132.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.6K

$42.13 R$214

499.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

$267 R$1,354

865.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

$190 R$965

992.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

$571 R$2,892

505.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

$444 R$2,249

520.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

$1,709 R$8,661

364.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

$1,221 R$6,191

422.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

$510 R$2,585

820.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-19.91%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 20, 2026

Last update for Novo Hamburgo: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

Novo Hamburgo

$190 24.6% 90.9% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$619 15.4%

Novo Hamburgo

$180 23.2% 71% $440

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$532 13.2%

Novo Hamburgo

$106 13.6% 80.1% $427

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

Novo Hamburgo

$93 12% 68.3% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$216 5.4%

Novo Hamburgo

$113 14.6% 47.6% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$141 3.5%

Novo Hamburgo

$41 5.3% 70.8% $100

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Novo Hamburgo

$52 6.7% 62.5% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,579 in Reykjavik versus $267 in Novo Hamburgo. 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 821% 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 $123 in Reykjavik versus $19.00 in Novo Hamburgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $180 – making Novo Hamburgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Novo Hamburgo

🕒 Local time

02:30 2:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

227,646

💱 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 Novo Hamburgo 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Novo Hamburgo

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 Novo Hamburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 419%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,034 per month in Reykjavik and $1,163 in Novo Hamburgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 244% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $123 in Reykjavik and $19.00 in Novo Hamburgo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Novo Hamburgo, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In Novo Hamburgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novo Hamburgo – 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 Novo Hamburgo. 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.