Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Porto Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $990 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,600 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 Porto Alegre
Learn more

Porto Alegre Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Porto Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Porto Alegre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $990 in Porto Alegre.

Reykjavik $4,037
Porto Alegre $990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $1,567 in Porto Alegre.

Reykjavik $5,666
Porto Alegre $1,567

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $2,143 in Porto Alegre.

Reykjavik $7,295
Porto Alegre $2,143

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 308% more expensive than in Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 201% above, Porto Alegre is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$7.85 R$39.17

289.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$39.44 R$197

243.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$7.16 R$35.72

278.21%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.62 R$13.10

156.49%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.39 R$6.96

135.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.07 R$5.33

195.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$2.42 R$12.08

474.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$2.93 R$14.64

311.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.04 R$5.18

96.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.72 R$8.59

151.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.08 R$5.39

239.81%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.42 R$12.09

190.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$10.08 R$50.3

118.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$4.81 R$24.02

413.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$9.73 R$48.56

338.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.44 R$12.20

38.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.45 R$7.23

96.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.40 R$6.99

126.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.66 R$8.28

284.94%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.21 R$6.04

231.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.08 R$5.41

51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$0.89 R$4.44

326.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.82 R$4.11

112.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$2.46 R$12.28

460.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$8.17 R$40.80

186.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.12 R$5.61

215.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.16 R$10.77

59.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.02 R$5.11

465.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$59.5 R$297

59.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.26 R$6.30

426.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$0.79 R$3.94

253.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$8.34 R$41.65

875.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.34 R$6.70

57.46%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$23.5K R$117.2K

116.51%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$34.4K R$171.5K

53.51%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$77.6 R$387

14.31%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$12.72 R$63.5

147.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$21.94 R$110

285.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$29.96 R$150

235.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$30.96 R$155

55.68%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$7.41 R$36.98

168.15%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$568 R$2,837

124.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$24.1K R$120.3K

28.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$51.0 R$255

215.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$59.1 R$295

9.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$103 R$512

78.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$77.9 R$389

225.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$483 R$2,411

417.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$280 R$1,396

615.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$816 R$4,072

323.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$462 R$2,307

493.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$1,675 R$8,363

377.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$1,302 R$6,499

379.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$546 R$2,725

759.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.5

-23.39%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Porto Alegre

$280 28.4% 86% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Porto Alegre

$205 20.9% 67.1% $420

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Porto Alegre

$144 14.6% 72.7% $382

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Porto Alegre

$131 13.3% 56.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Porto Alegre

$112 11.4% 45.2% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Porto Alegre

$45 4.5% 68.1% $95

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Porto Alegre

$69 7% 50.4% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $483 in Porto Alegre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 759% 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: $136 in Reykjavik vs $39.00 in Porto Alegre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $205 per month, with Porto Alegre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Porto Alegre

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

1,332,833

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Porto Alegre 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Porto Alegre

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 Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Alegre wins on cost – living expenses run 308% lower than in Reykjavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Porto Alegre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 759% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $483 in Porto Alegre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Porto Alegre – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $136 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,037 per month in Reykjavik versus $990 in Porto Alegre – a 308% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $990 in Porto Alegre versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Porto Alegre delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $990 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Porto Alegre hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Porto Alegre are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Porto Alegre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.