Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Villa María

For one person, living is cheaper in Villa María: $1,245 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,100 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
Learn more

Villa María Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Villa María

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,245 in Villa María, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Villa María $1,245

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,044 in Villa María, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Villa María $2,044

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,842 in Villa María, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Villa María $2,842

Reykjavik costs about 221% more than Villa María, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Villa María is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$14.53 ARS 22.1K

117.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$57.4 ARS 87.2K

113.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$14.75 ARS 22.4K

82.10%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$4.29 ARS 6,517

58.74%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$2.03 ARS 3,079

67.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.62 ARS 2,462

97.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$4.09 ARS 6,212

245.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$4.42 ARS 6,712

178.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.17 ARS 1,770

79.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.92 ARS 2,917

118.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.71 ARS 2,596

117.54%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.80 ARS 4,251

151.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$10.42 ARS 15.8K

106.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$7.56 ARS 11.5K

226.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$13.07 ARS 19.8K

222.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.17 ARS 3,296

48.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$2.52 ARS 3,819

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.46 ARS 2,213

117.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.35 ARS 3,572

181.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.10 ARS 1,666

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$0.90 ARS 1,360

84.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.52 ARS 2,308

15.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$3.42 ARS 5,188

300.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$4.70 ARS 7,139

415.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.76 ARS 2,672

100.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$3.64 ARS 5,516

-8.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.93 ARS 1,407

518.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.41 ARS 2,145

368.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.17 ARS 1,779

78.63%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$28.4K ARS 43.1M

79.52%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$29.1K ARS 44.1M

83.24%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$121 ARS 183.0K

-20.99%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$16.55 ARS 25.1K

95.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$23.71 ARS 36.0K

269.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$27.73 ARS 42.1K

267.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$10.42 ARS 15.8K

90.79%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$297 ARS 450.7K

302.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$91.4 ARS 138.7K

63.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$132 ARS 200.5K

36.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$132 ARS 199.9K

92.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$452 ARS 686.0K

463.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$365 ARS 553.7K

463.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$933 ARS 1.4M

274.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$819 ARS 1.2M

237.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Villa María: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Villa María

$365 29.3% 82.3% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Villa María

$250 * 20.1% 59.9% $373

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Villa María

$256 20.6% 52.3% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Villa María

$160 * 12.8% 45.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Villa María

$161 12.9% 25.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Villa María

$49 3.9% 65.7% $93

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Villa María

$5.1 * 0.4% 96.3% $133

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $452 in Villa María. 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $57.0 in Villa María. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $250 – making Villa María the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇦🇷 Villa María

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

22:34 10:34 PM

3 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

80,006

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Villa María 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Villa María

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 Villa María: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 221% more than Villa María, 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 $1,867 in Villa María. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Villa María, 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 $1,245 in Villa María. That's a gap of about 221%.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $297 in Villa María. 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 Villa María, where all-in costs run around $1,245, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Villa María it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Villa María costs $1,245 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 Villa María. 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.