Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Olinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Olinda: $875 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,023
/mo nomad
Olinda
🇧🇷 Brazil
$875
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Olinda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,023 in Reykjavik versus $875 in Olinda.

  • Reykjavik $4,023
  • Olinda $875

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,708 in Reykjavik versus $1,363 in Olinda.

  • Reykjavik $5,708
  • Olinda $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,393 in Reykjavik versus $1,851 in Olinda.

  • Reykjavik $7,393
  • Olinda $1,851

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 359% more expensive than in Olinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 197% above, Olinda is 35% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.00 ISK 3,760
$5.68 R$28.81
445.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$123 ISK 14.9K
$29.47 R$149
318.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$27.21 ISK 3,300
$8.15 R$41.33
233.87%
Cappuccino
$6.90 ISK 837
$1.52 R$7.72
353.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 ISK 401
$1.00 R$5.08
230.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ISK 384
$0.64 R$3.25
393.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.84 ISK 1,678
$1.57 R$7.95
781.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.46 ISK 1,512
$3.12 R$15.81
299.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ISK 250
$1.16 R$5.88
77.59%
White Bread (500g)
$4.11 ISK 498
$1.67 R$8.46
146.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.68 ISK 446
$1.54 R$7.80
138.96%
Eggs
$7.27 ISK 882
$1.96 R$9.95
270.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.79 ISK 2,643
$7.18 R$36.39
203.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$23.95 ISK 2,905
$4.59 R$23.28
421.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.43 ISK 5,025
$7.30 R$37.03
467.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.42 ISK 414
$1.42 R$7.22
140.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 ISK 344
$1.00 R$5.05
184.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.23 ISK 391
$0.74 R$3.76
336.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.46 ISK 783
$1.11 R$5.61
481.98%
Potato (1kg)
$4.05 ISK 491
$1.42 R$7.22
185.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 ISK 202
$1.07 R$5.44
55.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.86 ISK 468
$0.52 R$2.65
642.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 ISK 223
$0.83 R$4.22
121.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.96 ISK 1,693
$1.77 R$8.97
688.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.76 ISK 2,882
$7.90 R$40.05
200.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.54 ISK 430
$1.13 R$5.71
213.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 ISK 418
$1.57 R$7.94
119.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.81 ISK 705
$1.06 R$5.36
448.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.3 ISK 11.6K
$42.81 R$217
122.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.72 ISK 815
$1.25 R$6.33
437.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.81 ISK 340
$0.74 R$3.74
279.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.3 ISK 9,866
$3.12 R$15.81
2507.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 ISK 257
$1.26 R$6.40
68.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$68.9K ISK 8.4M
$23.3K R$118.3K
195.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.8K ISK 6.8M
$33.2K R$168.1K
68.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.8 ISK 11.6K
$117 R$592
-17.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 ISK 4,016
$13.51 R$68.5
145.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$87.2 ISK 10.6K
$17.80 R$90.2
389.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$101 ISK 12.3K
$25.79 R$131
291.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$50.7 ISK 6,155
$28.20 R$143
79.93%
Cinema Ticket
$19.85 ISK 2,407
$9.21 R$46.69
115.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,195 ISK 144.9K
$280 R$1,422
326.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.2K ISK 3.2M
$6,686 R$33.9K
292.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$148 ISK 18.0K
$45.14 R$229
228.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.8 ISK 8,096
$49.12 R$249
35.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$187 ISK 22.6K
$75.9 R$385
145.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$253 ISK 30.6K
$75.7 R$384
233.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,579 ISK 312.8K
$386 R$1,955
568.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,080 ISK 252.3K
$238 R$1,208
772.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,455 ISK 419.0K
$659 R$3,340
424.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,752 ISK 333.8K
$464 R$2,350
493.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,933 ISK 962.2K
$1,643 R$8,331
382.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,377 ISK 773.5K
$1,116 R$5,657
471.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Reykjavik
Olinda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,695 ISK 569.5K
$368 R$1,864
1176.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.81
11
-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 Olinda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Reykjavik
$2.1K
Olinda
$238 88.5% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Reykjavik
$619
Olinda
$173 72% $446
Eating Out
Reykjavik
$532
Olinda
$109 79.6% $424
Clothing & Footwear
Reykjavik
$294
Olinda
$111 62.4% $184
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reykjavik
$216
Olinda
$148 31.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Reykjavik
$141
Olinda
$44 68.6% $97
Getting Around
Reykjavik
$139
Olinda
$52 62.7% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Reykjavik and $386 in Olinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 1177% 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: $123 in Reykjavik vs $29.00 in Olinda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $619 vs $173 per month, with Olinda cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🇧🇷 Olinda
🕒 Local time
19:37 7:37 PM
16:37 4:37 PM
3 h behind Reykjavik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,894 Capital
349,976
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Reykjavik Olinda 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Reykjavik
  • Olinda

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 Olinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Reykjavik or Olinda?
Olinda wins on cost – living expenses run 359% lower than in Reykjavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Olinda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Reykjavik or in Olinda?
Average pay runs 1177% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Reykjavik compared to Olinda?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,579 in Reykjavik versus $386 in Olinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Reykjavik compared to Olinda?
All in, you'll spend $4,023 per month in Reykjavik versus $875 in Olinda – a 359% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Reykjavik compared to Olinda?
A monthly transit pass in Olinda runs roughly 123% less than in Reykjavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Reykjavik or in Olinda?
At $875 in Olinda versus $4,023 in Reykjavik, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Olinda but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Olinda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Reykjavik or Olinda?
Both work as nomad bases, but Olinda delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $875 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Olinda hard to pass up.
How safe is Reykjavik compared to Olinda?
Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Olinda are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Olinda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 359% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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