Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,934 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,885 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,836 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836

Reykjavik costs about 107% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reykjavik and Saint John, New Brunswick sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 196%, Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$18.31 CA$25.89

72.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$59.0 CA$83.5

107.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$10.43 CA$14.75

157.53%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$3.00 CA$4.25

127.00%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.69 CA$2.39

100.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.06 CA$1.50

201.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$4.43 CA$6.26

219.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$5.01 CA$7.08

145.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$2.17 CA$3.07

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$2.67 CA$3.77

56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$3.12 CA$4.41

19.23%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$3.45 CA$4.88

104.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$13.17 CA$18.61

63.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$11.72 CA$16.56

110.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$12.78 CA$18.06

230.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$4.79 CA$6.77

-32.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.47 CA$2.08

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$4.18 CA$5.91

-24.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$3.90 CA$5.51

69.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$2.00 CA$2.83

92.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$2.20 CA$3.11

-24.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$2.47 CA$3.49

53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.41 CA$1.99

24.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$13.92 CA$19.67

-1.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$9.90 CA$13.99

144.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.79 CA$2.53

97.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.12 CA$3.00

56.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$2.06 CA$2.92

179.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$56.0 CA$79.2

67.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.92 CA$4.13

126.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.06 CA$1.50

173.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$17.34 CA$24.52

356.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.25 CA$1.76

67.20%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$24.3K CA$34.4K

109.65%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$18.8K CA$26.6K

183.41%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$120 CA$169

-20.28%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$41.55 CA$58.7

-22.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$64.7 CA$91.4

35.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$52.3 CA$73.9

94.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$35.03 CA$49.52

42.96%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$12.78 CA$18.07

55.56%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$378 CA$534

215.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$11.1K CA$15.7K

128.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$48.34 CA$68.3

208.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$35.16 CA$49.71

89.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$103 CA$145

75.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$106 CA$150

139.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$990 CA$1,400

157.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$819 CA$1,158

151.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$1,610 CA$2,277

117.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$1,304 CA$1,843

111.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$2,018 CA$2,854

302.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$2,093 CA$2,959

198.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$2,402 CA$3,396

90.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

4.69

87.85%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4% 60.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1% 43.8% $272

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3% 52.1% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8% 55% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7% 4.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4% 45% $64

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8% 47.4% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 90% 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $350 – making Saint John, New Brunswick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

70,063

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Saint John, New Brunswick 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 107% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $2,901 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That's a gap of about 107%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Saint John, New Brunswick. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,934, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint John, New Brunswick costs $1,934 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 Saint John, New Brunswick. 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.