Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,088 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in San Pedro de Atacama

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 Pedro de Atacama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
San Pedro de Atacama $1,088

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,654 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
San Pedro de Atacama $1,654

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,220 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
San Pedro de Atacama $2,220

Reykjavik costs about 271% more than San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while San Pedro de Atacama is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$7.18 CLP 6,998

326.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$44.01 CLP 42.9K

207.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$7.79 CLP 7,597

247.63%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.83 CLP 2,756

137.46%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.57 CLP 1,528

108.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.17 CLP 1,140

170.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$3.57 CLP 3,483

289.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$3.84 CLP 3,747

214.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.19 CLP 1,162

71.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.51 CLP 1,470

186.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.63 CLP 1,589

125.15%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$3.69 CLP 3,603

90.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$10.05 CLP 9,796

119.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$6.58 CLP 6,417

275.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$11.43 CLP 11.1K

273.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$1.96 CLP 1,915

71.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.58 CLP 1,540

80.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.77 CLP 1,728

79.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.72 CLP 1,682

271.51%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.65 CLP 1,612

143.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.48 CLP 1,441

10.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.34 CLP 1,306

183.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.23 CLP 1,196

41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$5.35 CLP 5,218

157.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$5.17 CLP 5,043

352.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.62 CLP 1,584

117.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.21 CLP 2,151

56.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$0.58 CLP 561

894.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$0.71 CLP 689

833.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.42 CLP 1,386

48.59%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$17.9K CLP 17.4M

184.24%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$19.6K CLP 19.2M

168.42%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$134 CLP 130.7K

-33.87%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$13.34 CLP 13.0K

136.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$21.93 CLP 21.4K

285.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$37.95 CLP 37.0K

164.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$22.81 CLP 22.2K

111.31%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$5.25 CLP 5,122

278.48%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$385 CLP 375.7K

231.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$8,507 CLP 8.3M

263.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$46.52 CLP 45.4K

245.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$25.15 CLP 24.5K

158.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$61.2 CLP 59.6K

198.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$81.3 CLP 79.2K

212.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$482 CLP 469.6K

419.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$376 CLP 366.6K

431.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$876 CLP 854.3K

294.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$597 CLP 581.9K

359.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,318 CLP 2.3M

245.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.01

75.85%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

San Pedro de Atacama

$376 35% 81.2% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

San Pedro de Atacama

$232 21.5% 63% $394

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

San Pedro de Atacama

$151 14.1% 71.2% $375

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$96 9% 67.7% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

San Pedro de Atacama

$169 15.7% 17.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$48 4.5% 65.4% $92

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3 * 0.3% 97.8% $136

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 $482 in San Pedro de Atacama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik versus $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $232 – making San Pedro de Atacama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

5,347

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik San Pedro de Atacama 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
San Pedro de Atacama

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 Pedro de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 271% more than San Pedro de Atacama, 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 $1,631 in San Pedro de Atacama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama, 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 $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama. That's a gap of about 271%.

Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $385 in San Pedro de Atacama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro de Atacama, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In San Pedro de Atacama 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 Pedro de Atacama costs $1,088 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 San Pedro de Atacama. 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.