Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,318 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 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
63

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,318 in San Rafael, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
San Rafael $1,318

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
San Rafael $2,096

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,875 in San Rafael, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
San Rafael $2,875

Reykjavik costs about 206% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while San Rafael is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$11.20 ARS 17.0K

173.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$49.65 ARS 75.3K

172.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$14.69 ARS 22.3K

84.34%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$4.34 ARS 6,580

54.84%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.42 ARS 3,663

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.98 ARS 3,006

59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$3.94 ARS 5,969

253.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$4.42 ARS 6,701

172.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.35 ARS 2,046

51.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.27 ARS 3,435

90.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.67 ARS 4,052

37.45%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$3.18 ARS 4,820

120.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$14.56 ARS 22.1K

51.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$6.21 ARS 9,418

297.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$11.16 ARS 16.9K

282.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.38 ARS 3,604

41.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$2.21 ARS 3,347

28.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.35 ARS 2,048

134.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$3.30 ARS 5,012

93.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$2.01 ARS 3,055

99.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.45 ARS 2,203

13.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.94 ARS 2,935

95.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$2.46 ARS 3,725

-29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$2.82 ARS 4,279

389.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$5.05 ARS 7,656

362.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.73 ARS 2,625

104.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$3.05 ARS 4,619

13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.00 ARS 1,513

477.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.96 ARS 2,966

238.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$1.02 ARS 1,540

173.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$4.89 ARS 7,412

1564.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.27 ARS 1,929

66.14%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$26.6K ARS 40.4M

90.70%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$32.6K ARS 49.4M

61.84%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$135 ARS 205.3K

-34.49%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$17.43 ARS 26.4K

80.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$23.44 ARS 35.6K

261.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$31.21 ARS 47.3K

221.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$6.91 ARS 10.5K

187.55%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$177 ARS 268.1K

622.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$4,090 ARS 6.2M

656.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$116 ARS 175.9K

38.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$125 ARS 188.9K

-47.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$136 ARS 206.8K

33.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$125 ARS 189.8K

102.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$489 ARS 740.9K

411.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$318 ARS 482.7K

528.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$937 ARS 1.4M

268.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$725 ARS 1.1M

278.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

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

-85.07%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

San Rafael

$318 24.6% 84.1% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

San Rafael

$286 22.1% 54.3% $339

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

San Rafael

$232 17.9% 55.9% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

San Rafael

$226 17.5% 24.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

San Rafael

$176 13.6% 14% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

San Rafael

$45 3.5% 67.9% $95

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.9% 92.1% $128

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 $489 in San Rafael. 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 $50.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $286 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

118,850

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik San Rafael 11,710 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 206% more than San Rafael, 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 $1,978 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, 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 $1,318 in San Rafael. That's a gap of about 206%.

Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $177 in San Rafael. 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 Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,318, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In San Rafael 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 Rafael costs $1,318 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 Rafael. 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.