Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $1,003 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Sao Carlos

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,003 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Sao Carlos $1,003

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,742 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Sao Carlos $1,742

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,480 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Sao Carlos $2,480

Reykjavik costs about 302% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while Sao Carlos is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$5.15 R$25.69

493.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$40.83 R$204

231.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$7.16 R$35.74

278.21%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.09 R$10.42

221.53%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.35 R$6.74

142.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.75 R$3.75

321.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$1.63 R$8.14

753.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$2.74 R$13.70

340.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.37 R$6.81

48.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.97 R$9.83

119.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.87 R$9.32

96.26%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.88 R$14.36

143.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$12.62 R$63.0

74.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$5.42 R$27.04

355.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$9.53 R$47.59

347.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.68 R$13.40

25.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.90 R$9.50

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.81 R$9.04

75.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.91 R$9.55

234.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.67 R$8.34

140.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.43 R$7.14

14.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$0.98 R$4.87

287.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.16 R$5.80

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$3.15 R$15.74

338.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$8.61 R$42.96

171.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.47 R$7.32

140.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.95 R$14.75

16.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.01 R$5.06

471.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$23.73 R$118

300.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.49 R$7.42

344.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$0.97 R$4.86

187.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$3.64 R$18.16

2135.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.22 R$6.08

72.95%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$20.4K R$101.9K

149.04%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$31.9K R$159.2K

65.36%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$63.2 R$316

40.28%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$13.95 R$69.7

126.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$24.86 R$124

240.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$34.12 R$170

194.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$48.34 R$241

-0.29%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$5.42 R$27.07

266.61%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$297 R$1,481

330.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$2,987 R$14.9K

936.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$84.3 R$421

90.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$97.3 R$486

-33.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$139 R$693

31.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$164 R$819

54.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$268 R$1,336

834.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$235 R$1,172

752.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$671 R$3,349

414.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$661 R$3,300

314.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$849 R$4,237

842.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$750 R$3,744

733.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$693 R$3,460

576.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

10.75

-18.05%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Sao Carlos

$235 23.8% 88.3% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Sao Carlos

$244 24.7% 61% $381

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Sao Carlos

$110 11.1% 79.1% $416

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 26.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Sao Carlos

$102 10.3% 50.2% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Sao Carlos

$45 4.6% 67.9% $95

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 75.4% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $268 in Sao Carlos. 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 577% 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 $136 in Reykjavik versus $41.00 in Sao Carlos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $244 – making Sao Carlos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

254,857

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Sao Carlos 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Sao Carlos

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 Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 302% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,505 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Carlos, 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 $1,003 in Sao Carlos. That's a gap of about 302%.

Public transport costs about 301% less in Sao Carlos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Sao Carlos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Carlos costs $1,003 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 Sao Carlos. 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.