Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $568 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $41,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Quellón
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Quellón Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Quellón

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $568 in Quellón, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Quellón $568

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $953 in Quellón, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Quellón $953

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,338 in Quellón, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Quellón $1,338

Reykjavik costs about 604% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Quellón is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$51.5 CLP 50.7K

137.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$2.59 CLP 2,550

162.93%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.25 CLP 1,235

171.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.80 CLP 786

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$3.12 CLP 3,071

353.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$2.99 CLP 2,947

311.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.27 CLP 1,246

65.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.05 CLP 1,033

299.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$2.03 CLP 1,994

83.25%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.87 CLP 2,826

145.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$6.01 CLP 5,915

258.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$1.86 CLP 1,834

73.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.24 CLP 2,203

21.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$3.63 CLP 3,572

-12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.85 CLP 1,822

257.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.01 CLP 993

281.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$2.07 CLP 2,036

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.00 CLP 980

280.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$2.00 CLP 1,967

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$9.39 CLP 9,239

157.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.86 CLP 2,813

23.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$1.81 CLP 1,780

83.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.45 CLP 440

1177.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$3.09 CLP 3,044

113.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.36 CLP 1,334

53.68%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$30.88 CLP 30.4K

183.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$51.8 CLP 51.0K

96.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$25.33 CLP 24.9K

488.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$51.2 CLP 50.4K

251.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$253 CLP 249.0K

907.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$206 CLP 203.3K

895.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$411 CLP 405.0K

750.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$359 CLP 353.2K

670.19%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quellón: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Quellón

$206 36.3% 90% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Quellón

$179 * 31.5% 71.2% $444

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Quellón

$61 * 10.7% 88.7% $476

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Quellón

$34 * 6.1% 88.2% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Quellón

$31 * 5.4% 85.6% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Quellón

$52 * 9.1% 63.4% $90

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Quellón

$4.9 * 0.9% 96.5% $133

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 $253 in Quellón. 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $51.0 in Quellón. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $179 – making Quellón the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

17,552

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Quellón 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 604% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $853 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quellón, 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 $568 in Quellón. That's a gap of about 604%.

Groceries cost about 248% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quellón, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Quellón it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quellón costs $568 versus $4,002 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Quellón. 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.