Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Pilar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilar: $1,188 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
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Pilar Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Pilar

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,188 in Pilar, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Pilar $1,188

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,031 in Pilar, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Pilar $2,031

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,875 in Pilar, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Pilar $2,875

Reykjavik costs about 237% more than Pilar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Pilar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

68.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$59.8 ARS 90.7K

104.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$13.19 ARS 20.0K

103.64%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$3.97 ARS 6,027

71.54%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.99 ARS 3,021

70.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.57 ARS 2,383

103.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$4.05 ARS 6,149

249.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$4.63 ARS 7,031

165.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.50 ARS 2,269

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$2.50 ARS 3,800

67.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.59 ARS 2,420

133.96%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.28 ARS 3,458

209.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$10.68 ARS 16.2K

101.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$2.95 ARS 4,474

736.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$10.19 ARS 15.5K

314.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.86 ARS 4,340

12.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.19 ARS 3,325

24.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.44 ARS 2,192

120.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.97 ARS 2,989

235.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.26 ARS 1,917

205.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.21 ARS 1,831

37.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.64 ARS 2,484

131.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.77 ARS 2,689

-1.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$4.17 ARS 6,333

228.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$5.81 ARS 8,818

316.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.06 ARS 3,124

71.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.86 ARS 4,345

16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$1.06 ARS 1,610

442.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.62 ARS 2,460

308.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.02 ARS 1,551

184.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$8.19 ARS 12.4K

866.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.08 ARS 1,645

93.52%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$28.0K ARS 42.4M

82.46%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$34.8K ARS 52.8M

53.09%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$64.2 ARS 97.4K

48.47%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$9.91 ARS 15.0K

226.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$20.04 ARS 30.4K

336.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$31.61 ARS 48.0K

222.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$10.32 ARS 15.7K

92.64%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$466 ARS 707.0K

156.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$8,783 ARS 13.3M

189.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$121 ARS 183.6K

23.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$93.9 ARS 142.5K

-29.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$118 ARS 178.6K

52.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$141 ARS 214.0K

79.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$521 ARS 790.2K

389.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$299 ARS 453.2K

588.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$1,001 ARS 1.5M

249.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$757 ARS 1.1M

265.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$1,011 ARS 1.5M

352.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

57.25

-84.61%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pilar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Pilar

$299 25.2% 85.5% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Pilar

$238 20% 61.8% $385

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Pilar

$281 23.7% 47.6% $256

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Pilar

$213 18% 27% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Pilar

$94 7.9% 56.3% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Pilar

$52 4.4% 63.1% $89

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Pilar

$11 * 0.9% 92% $127

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $521 in Pilar. 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 352% 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $60.0 in Pilar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $238 – making Pilar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 Pilar

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

81,120

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Pilar 11,430 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Pilar

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 Pilar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,002 in Reykjavik, $1,188 in Pilar – roughly 237% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,781 in Pilar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pilar, 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 $4,002 in Reykjavik and $1,188 in Pilar. That's a gap of about 237%.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $466 in Pilar. 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 Pilar, where all-in costs run around $1,188, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Pilar 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 $1,188 in Pilar to $4,002 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 Pilar. 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.