Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in San José

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

A single person spends $4,023 per month in Reykjavik vs $913 in San José, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,023
San José $913

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,449 in San José, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,708
San José $1,449

A family of three spends $7,393 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,985 in San José, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,393
San José $1,985

Reykjavik costs about 341% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 197% above the global median, while San José is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 ISK 3,760

$12.95 UYU 520

139.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$43.87 UYU 1,761

180.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.21 ISK 3,300

$13.82 UYU 555

96.89%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 837

$4.88 UYU 196

41.39%

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

$3.30 ISK 401

$2.38 UYU 95.6

38.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 384

$2.19 UYU 87.9

44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.84 ISK 1,678

$2.92 UYU 117

373.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.46 ISK 1,512

$3.48 UYU 140

258.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ISK 250

$0.99 UYU 39.77

108.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$2.01 UYU 80.7

104.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.47 UYU 59.0

150.34%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 882

$2.62 UYU 105

177.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.79 ISK 2,643

$12.01 UYU 482

81.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.95 ISK 2,905

$7.26 UYU 291

229.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.43 ISK 5,025

$12.07 UYU 484

243.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ISK 414

$1.22 UYU 48.77

180.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ISK 344

$1.54 UYU 61.8

84.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 391

$1.21 UYU 48.71

166.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 ISK 783

$1.54 UYU 61.7

319.48%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 ISK 491

$0.98 UYU 39.49

313.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 202

$1.28 UYU 51.5

29.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 ISK 468

$1.49 UYU 59.7

159.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 223

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-7.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ISK 1,693

$9.82 UYU 394

42.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.76 ISK 2,882

$8.17 UYU 328

190.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$3.05 UYU 123

16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ISK 418

$3.35 UYU 135

2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ISK 815

$3.50 UYU 141

92.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ISK 340

$3.45 UYU 139

-18.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.3 ISK 9,866

$9.95 UYU 399

717.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-1.40%

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

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

89.33%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

39.32%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$113 UYU 4,547

-15.44%

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

$33.11 ISK 4,016

$23.78 UYU 955

39.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

$47.11 UYU 1,891

84.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 ISK 2,407

$12.35 UYU 496

60.73%

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

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

$494 UYU 19.8K

141.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

291.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$88.3 UYU 3,542

67.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,096

$37.57 UYU 1,508

77.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ISK 22.6K

$164 UYU 6,601

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.6K

$117 UYU 4,699

115.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

76.20%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 20, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$619 15.4%

San José

$256 28.1% 58.6% $363

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$532 13.2%

San José

$243 26.7% 54.3% $289

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

San José

$183 20.1% 37.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$216 5.4%

San José

$184 20.2% 14.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$141 3.5%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 82.5% $116

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 85.1% $119

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 $123 in Reykjavik versus $44.00 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $256 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik San José 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 341% more than San José, 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 $6,034 per month in Reykjavik and $1,369 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,023 in Reykjavik and $913 in San José. That's a gap of about 341%.

Kindergarten costs $1,195 per month in Reykjavik and $494 in San José. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In San José it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San José costs $913 versus $4,023 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 San José. 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.