Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,244 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
Learn more

Sao Paulo Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Sao Paulo $1,244

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,085 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Sao Paulo $2,085

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,926 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Sao Paulo $2,926

Reykjavik costs about 224% more than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while Sao Paulo is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$8.94 R$44.64

242.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$49.46 R$247

173.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$9.22 R$46.01

193.71%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$2.54 R$12.70

164.57%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$1.45 R$7.25

125.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.91 R$4.55

247.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$3.07 R$15.31

353.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$4.36 R$21.75

176.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.27 R$6.32

60.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.84 R$9.17

134.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.41 R$7.05

160.28%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$2.84 R$14.20

147.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$12.56 R$62.7

75.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$5.37 R$26.81

359.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$10.72 R$53.5

297.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.74 R$13.67

22.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.81 R$9.03

57.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.55 R$7.74

104.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.98 R$9.90

222.73%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.47 R$7.34

172.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.24 R$6.20

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.27 R$6.35

199.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.96 R$4.79

81.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$3.04 R$15.16

353.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$10.19 R$50.8

129.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.73 R$8.64

104.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.64 R$13.19

30.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$1.04 R$5.18

454.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$48.10 R$240

97.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.82 R$9.07

264.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$1.02 R$5.07

173.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$10.16 R$50.7

700.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.27 R$6.35

66.14%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$24.3K R$121.4K

108.94%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$34.0K R$169.8K

55.08%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$104 R$519

-14.69%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$16.16 R$80.7

95.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$22.59 R$113

274.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$36.27 R$181

176.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$47.78 R$239

0.88%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$9.85 R$49.19

101.73%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$525 R$2,622

143.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$16.6K R$82.8K

86.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$66.9 R$334

140.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$62.3 R$311

4.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$101 R$505

80.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$90.9 R$454

179.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$663 R$3,309

277.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$423 R$2,110

373.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$1,527 R$7,622

126.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$1,009 R$5,035

171.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$2,744 R$13.7K

191.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$2,068 R$10.3K

202.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$881 R$4,396

432.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.68

-24.57%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 78.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 61.1% $382

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 69% $363

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 51.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 30.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 60.1% $84

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 57.4% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $663 in Sao Paulo. 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 433% 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 $49.00 in Sao Paulo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $243 – making Sao Paulo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 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 = 7.32 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Sao Paulo 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Sao Paulo

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 Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 224% more than Sao Paulo, 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 $1,866 in Sao Paulo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Paulo, 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 $1,244 in Sao Paulo. That's a gap of about 224%.

Public transport costs about 98% less in Sao Paulo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Paulo, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Sao Paulo 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 Paulo costs $1,244 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 Paulo. 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.