Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Valdivia

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,015 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
Learn more

Valdivia Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Valdivia

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,015 in Valdivia, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Valdivia $1,015

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,560 in Valdivia, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Valdivia $1,560

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,104 in Valdivia, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Valdivia $2,104

Reykjavik costs about 298% more than Valdivia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 201% above the global median, while Valdivia is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$6.25 CLP 6,107

389.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$46.87 CLP 45.8K

189.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$6.88 CLP 6,727

293.60%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$2.14 CLP 2,087

214.02%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.05 CLP 2,008

59.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.26 CLP 1,229

150.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$3.53 CLP 3,454

294.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$3.54 CLP 3,456

240.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.19 CLP 1,164

71.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$1.30 CLP 1,270

232.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$1.62 CLP 1,579

126.54%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$3.09 CLP 3,024

127.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$8.80 CLP 8,598

150.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$6.40 CLP 6,259

285.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$12.61 CLP 12.3K

238.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$2.19 CLP 2,140

53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.88 CLP 1,836

51.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.73 CLP 1,696

83.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$1.86 CLP 1,821

243.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$2.43 CLP 2,371

65.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.50 CLP 1,463

9.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.48 CLP 1,449

156.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.11 CLP 1,087

56.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$5.05 CLP 4,934

173.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$4.49 CLP 4,392

420.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.47 CLP 1,440

140.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.15 CLP 2,100

60.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$0.56 CLP 549

930.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.00 CLP 978

563.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.50 CLP 1,463

40.67%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$14.9K CLP 14.6M

240.39%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$17.8K CLP 17.4M

196.60%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$89.0 CLP 87.0K

-0.36%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$13.86 CLP 13.5K

127.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$30.85 CLP 30.1K

174.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$40.34 CLP 39.4K

148.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$24.05 CLP 23.5K

100.42%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$4.60 CLP 4,501

331.96%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

$245 CLP 239.8K

420.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$3,064 CLP 3.0M

910.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$51.8 CLP 50.6K

210.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$17.82 CLP 17.4K

264.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$49.57 CLP 48.5K

268.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$78.2 CLP 76.4K

224.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$570 CLP 556.9K

338.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$371 CLP 362.1K

439.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$975 CLP 952.7K

254.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$560 CLP 547.4K

389.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

$4,505 CLP 4.4M

77.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$619 CLP 604.7K

658.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

4.5

95.78%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Valdivia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Valdivia

$370 36.7% 81.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Valdivia

$229 22.7% 63.4% $396

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Valdivia

$134 13.3% 74.5% $392

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Valdivia

$89 8.8% 70.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Valdivia

$134 13.3% 34.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Valdivia

$50 4.9% 64.6% $91

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3% 97.7% $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 $570 in Valdivia. 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 658% 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 $47.00 in Valdivia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $229 – making Valdivia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

150,048

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,095 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Valdivia 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Valdivia

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 Valdivia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 298% more than Valdivia, 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 $1,522 in Valdivia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valdivia, 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 $1,015 in Valdivia. That's a gap of about 298%.

Kindergarten costs $1,277 per month in Reykjavik and $245 in Valdivia. 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 Valdivia, where all-in costs run around $1,015, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Valdivia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Valdivia costs $1,015 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 Valdivia. 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.