Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $4,002 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
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $890 in San Juan, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
San Juan $890

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,389 in San Juan, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
San Juan $1,389

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,888 in San Juan, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
San Juan $1,888

Reykjavik costs about 350% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while San Juan is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

366.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

211.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

122.35%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$2.59 ARS 3,938

162.93%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$2.11 ARS 3,202

60.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.82 ARS 2,761

75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$3.91 ARS 5,930

261.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$4.48 ARS 6,799

174.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.38 ARS 2,101

52.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.45 ARS 2,195

188.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.40 ARS 2,124

165.71%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$1.44 ARS 2,184

389.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$2.84 ARS 4,305

659.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$6.23 ARS 9,448

296.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

287.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$1.40 ARS 2,129

130.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.39 ARS 2,108

96.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.34 ARS 2,037

136.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.45 ARS 2,193

355.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.40 ARS 2,128

175.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.38 ARS 2,098

20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.40 ARS 2,129

171.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.44 ARS 2,183

21.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$2.71 ARS 4,117

405.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$4.90 ARS 7,433

394.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.41 ARS 2,136

150.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$1.44 ARS 2,178

130.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.96 ARS 1,460

498.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.98 ARS 3,006

233.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.99 ARS 1,495

192.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$4.84 ARS 7,351

1535.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.17 ARS 1,782

78.63%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

90.83%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

58.32%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$144 ARS 218.7K

-33.90%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

222.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

391.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

234.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

186.87%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$172 ARS 260.5K

595.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

516.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$107 ARS 162.3K

39.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

56.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

209.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

606.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$249 ARS 378.2K

922.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$198 ARS 301.1K

936.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$492 ARS 747.1K

610.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$400 ARS 607.2K

590.66%

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

$700 ARS 1.1M

553.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-83.69%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

San Juan

$198 22.3% 90.3% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 69.6% $433

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

San Juan

$166 18.6% 69.1% $371

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 62.5% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

San Juan

$172 19.3% 20.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

San Juan

$44 5% 68.7% $97

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 92.2% $127

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 $249 in San Juan. 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 553% 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 $39.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $190 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

522,029

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik San Juan 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 350% more than San Juan, 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 $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,335 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, 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 $890 in San Juan. That's a gap of about 350%.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $172 in San Juan. 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 Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In San Juan 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 Juan costs $890 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 San Juan. 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.