Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $743 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $39,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Santa Maria

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $743 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Santa Maria $743

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,242 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Santa Maria $1,242

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,742 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Santa Maria $1,742

Reykjavik costs about 439% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Santa Maria is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$5.45 R$27.65

479.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$36.62 R$186

234.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$6.82 R$34.57

293.84%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$1.85 R$9.36

268.11%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.07 R$5.40

216.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.68 R$3.46

370.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$1.63 R$8.29

767.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$3.07 R$15.55

300.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.04 R$5.27

101.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.64 R$8.31

155.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.08 R$5.48

244.44%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.10 R$10.64

235.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$9.43 R$47.80

128.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$3.96 R$20.07

523.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$8.20 R$41.58

414.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.48 R$12.57

30.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.50 R$7.61

82.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.36 R$6.91

133.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.53 R$7.75

332.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.16 R$5.88

231.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.13 R$5.71

46.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$0.86 R$4.37

341.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.81 R$4.12

116.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$2.38 R$12.07

476.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$8.18 R$41.44

195.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.14 R$5.77

209.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.19 R$11.09

51.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$1.01 R$5.13

469.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$30.52 R$155

207.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.32 R$6.70

400.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.87 R$4.39

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$8.16 R$41.36

870.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.23 R$6.21

69.92%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$23.9K R$121.2K

113.31%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$32.6K R$165.3K

63.42%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$53.4 R$271

78.32%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$12.65 R$64.1

155.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$16.66 R$84.5

425.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$23.82 R$121

327.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$12.05 R$61.1

315.60%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$5.66 R$28.68

251.24%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$163 R$828

631.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$3,049 R$15.5K

733.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$51.2 R$260

190.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$43.38 R$220

53.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$95.9 R$486

87.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$62.3 R$316

306.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$293 R$1,486

769.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$172 R$870

1098.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$648 R$3,285

439.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$391 R$1,982

606.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$2,029 R$10.3K

300.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$674 R$3,416

828.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$637 R$3,227

618.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-11.90%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Santa Maria

$172 23.1% 91.7% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Santa Maria

$192 25.9% 69.2% $431

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Santa Maria

$108 14.5% 80% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Santa Maria

$114 15.3% 61% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Santa Maria

$83 11.1% 61.5% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Santa Maria

$35 4.7% 75.2% $107

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Santa Maria

$40 5.4% 70.8% $98

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $293 in Santa Maria. 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 618% 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 $37.00 in Santa Maria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $192 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

271,735

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Santa Maria 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 439% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,114 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria, 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 $743 in Santa Maria. That's a gap of about 439%.

Public transport costs about 207% less in Santa Maria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Maria costs $743 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 Santa Maria. 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.