Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,332 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $32,500 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/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 $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,332 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Salto $1,332

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,921 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Salto $1,921

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,510 in Salto, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Salto $2,510

Reykjavik costs about 203% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while Salto is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$15.98 UYU 642

91.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$37.19 UYU 1,493

264.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$11.86 UYU 476

128.33%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$3.26 UYU 131

106.13%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.21 UYU 88.9

47.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.57 UYU 63.0

101.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$4.57 UYU 183

204.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$3.08 UYU 124

291.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.40 UYU 56.1

45.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$2.12 UYU 85.0

103.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.50 UYU 60.2

144.67%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$5.34 UYU 215

31.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$15.05 UYU 604

46.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$8.73 UYU 350

182.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$9.86 UYU 396

332.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$1.27 UYU 50.9

165.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$2.16 UYU 86.6

31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.24 UYU 49.86

155.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.86 UYU 74.7

243.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$0.90 UYU 35.99

345.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.66 UYU 66.7

-1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$0.89 UYU 35.73

326.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.53 UYU 61.3

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$5.29 UYU 213

160.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$7.55 UYU 303

209.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.91 UYU 76.8

84.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.61 UYU 105

32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$0.60 UYU 23.95

861.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$29.75 UYU 1,194

219.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

$3.61 UYU 145

-22.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.95 UYU 78.2

8.21%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$200 UYU 8,020

-55.61%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$21.70 UYU 871

45.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$29.62 UYU 1,189

185.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$36.74 UYU 1,475

173.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$12.46 UYU 500

286.84%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$9.93 UYU 399

100.10%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$4,463 UYU 179.2K

593.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$85.5 UYU 3,432

88.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$55.9 UYU 2,244

16.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$114 UYU 4,569

60.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$67.1 UYU 2,693

278.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$438 UYU 17.6K

470.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$300 UYU 12.1K

566.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$749 UYU 30.1K

360.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$417 UYU 16.7K

557.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$628 UYU 25.2K

646.97%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Salto

$300 22.7% 85% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Salto

$272 20.6% 56.5% $353

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Salto

$247 18.7% 53.1% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Salto

$145 11% 51.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Salto

$251 19% 22.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Salto

$57 4.3% 59.6% $84

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Salto

$50 * 3.8% 63.8% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $438 in Salto. 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 647% 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 $136 in Reykjavik versus $37.00 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $272 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

104,028

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, 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 = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Salto 11,080 km ≈ 14 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 203% more than Salto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $1,998 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salto, 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 $4,037 in Reykjavik and $1,332 in Salto. That's a gap of about 203%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik and $37.00 in Salto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,332, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. 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 $1,332 versus $4,037 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.