Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Pando

For one person, living is cheaper in Pando: $997 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Pando
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Pando Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

Pando

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Pando

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

A single person spends $4,023 per month in Reykjavik vs $997 in Pando, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,023
Pando $997

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,900 in Pando, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,708
Pando $1,900

A family of three spends $7,393 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,802 in Pando, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,393
Pando $2,802

Reykjavik costs about 303% more than Pando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 197% above the global median, while Pando is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 ISK 3,760

$12.97 UYU 521

139.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$43.80 UYU 1,758

181.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.21 ISK 3,300

$13.92 UYU 559

95.47%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 837

$5.07 UYU 203

36.09%

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

$3.30 ISK 401

$2.35 UYU 94.2

40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 384

$2.26 UYU 90.8

39.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.84 ISK 1,678

$2.93 UYU 117

372.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.46 ISK 1,512

$3.61 UYU 145

245.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ISK 250

$1.13 UYU 45.54

82.30%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$2.82 UYU 113

45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.69 UYU 67.8

117.75%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 882

$4.32 UYU 173

68.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.79 ISK 2,643

$12.35 UYU 496

76.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.95 ISK 2,905

$11.88 UYU 477

101.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.43 ISK 5,025

$12.07 UYU 485

243.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ISK 414

$3.04 UYU 122

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ISK 344

$3.34 UYU 134

-14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 391

$2.30 UYU 92.3

40.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 ISK 783

$3.97 UYU 159

62.72%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 ISK 491

$2.07 UYU 83.1

95.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 202

$2.08 UYU 83.5

-20.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 ISK 468

$1.57 UYU 63.2

145.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 223

$1.91 UYU 76.6

-3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ISK 1,693

$9.96 UYU 400

40.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.76 ISK 2,882

$7.97 UYU 320

198.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$3.02 UYU 121

17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ISK 418

$3.36 UYU 135

2.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ISK 815

$3.59 UYU 144

87.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ISK 340

$3.44 UYU 138

-18.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.3 ISK 9,866

$9.78 UYU 393

731.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-1.40%

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

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

92.26%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$40.2K UYU 1.6M

38.75%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$113 UYU 4,536

-15.23%

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

$33.11 ISK 4,016

$24.04 UYU 965

37.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

$46.87 UYU 1,881

85.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 ISK 2,407

$12.53 UYU 503

58.42%

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

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

$492 UYU 19.7K

142.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$6,713 UYU 269.4K

290.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$88.1 UYU 3,535

68.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,096

$37.69 UYU 1,513

77.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ISK 22.6K

$163 UYU 6,545

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.6K

$117 UYU 4,714

115.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

$346 UYU 13.9K

645.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

$740 UYU 29.7K

367.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

$606 UYU 24.3K

353.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Pando: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

Pando

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$619 15.4%

Pando

$338 33.9% 45.5% $281

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$532 13.2%

Pando

$247 24.7% 53.7% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

Pando

$183 18.3% 37.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$216 5.4%

Pando

$184 18.5% 14.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$141 3.5%

Pando

$25 * 2.5% 82.2% $116

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Pando

$21 * 2.1% 85.1% $119

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,579 in Reykjavik versus $346 in Pando. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $123 in Reykjavik versus $44.00 in Pando. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $338 – making Pando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇺🇾 Pando

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

25,949

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Pando 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Pando

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 Pando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,023 in Reykjavik, $997 in Pando – roughly 303% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,034 per month in Reykjavik and $1,496 in Pando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,023 in Reykjavik and $997 in Pando. That's a gap of about 303%.

Kindergarten costs $1,195 per month in Reykjavik and $492 in Pando. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pando, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In Pando it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Reykjavik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $997 in Pando to $4,023 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 Pando. 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.