Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $825 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $38,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Salto

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Salto

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $825 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Salto $825

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,286 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Salto $1,286

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,747 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Salto $1,747

Reykjavik costs about 385% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Salto is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$6.91 R$35.05

356.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$27.73 R$141

341.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$6.83 R$34.60

293.27%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$1.95 R$9.87

249.23%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.09 R$5.51

211.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.76 R$3.87

321.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$2.78 R$14.08

408.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$3.09 R$15.67

298.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.08 R$5.46

94.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.70 R$8.63

146.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.18 R$5.99

215.25%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.71 R$13.76

160.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$9.23 R$46.77

133.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$3.88 R$19.65

536.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$9.94 R$50.4

324.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.86 R$14.52

12.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.91 R$9.68

42.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.77 R$8.99

79.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.82 R$9.24

263.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.42 R$7.18

171.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.44 R$7.28

15.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$0.90 R$4.56

322.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.48 R$2.41

264.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$2.66 R$13.51

415.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$9.13 R$46.27

165.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.65 R$8.38

113.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$4.57 R$23.19

-27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.87 R$4.42

560.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.34 R$6.78

393.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.36 R$6.90

113.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$9.65 R$48.92

720.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.19 R$6.02

75.63%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$23.7K R$120.0K

115.46%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$34.4K R$174.6K

54.69%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$40.22 R$204

136.85%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$10.00 R$50.7

223.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$18.36 R$93.1

376.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$26.39 R$134

285.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$2.94 R$14.92

576.19%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$262 R$1,327

356.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$7,715 R$39.1K

229.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$55.2 R$280

170.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$59.4 R$301

12.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$96.6 R$490

86.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$86.7 R$439

192.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$238 R$1,206

764.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$595 R$3,014

488.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$396 R$2,005

598.64%

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

11.12

-20.77%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Salto

$238 28.8% 88.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Salto

$214 26% 65.6% $408

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Salto

$127 15.3% 76.4% $410

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Salto

$134 16.2% 54.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Salto

$69 8.3% 68.1% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Salto

$32 3.9% 77.2% $109

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Salto

$12 * 1.4% 91.6% $126

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Reykjavik versus $28.00 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $214 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Salto

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

09:24 9:24 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

134,319

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Salto 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 385% more than Salto, 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 $1,238 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,002 in Reykjavik and $825 in Salto. That's a gap of about 385%.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $262 in Salto. 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 Salto, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Salto costs $825 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 Salto. 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.