Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Reykjavik

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Reykjavik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Reykjavik $7,295

Rio de Janeiro is about 68% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 201% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$30.59 ISK 3,730

-67.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$136 ISK 16.5K

-70.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$27.08 ISK 3,302

-68.69%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$6.72 ISK 819

-64.88%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$3.27 ISK 399

-50.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$3.16 ISK 386

-68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$13.91 ISK 1,696

-82.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$12.06 ISK 1,470

-69.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.04 ISK 248

-43.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$4.32 ISK 527

-52.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$3.67 ISK 447

-64.85%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$7.02 ISK 856

-67.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$22.01 ISK 2,684

-50.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$24.70 ISK 3,012

-82.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$42.66 ISK 5,202

-77.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.37 ISK 412

-16.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.85 ISK 347

-35.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.17 ISK 387

-49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$6.39 ISK 779

-71.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$4.01 ISK 489

-68.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.64 ISK 200

-34.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$3.80 ISK 463

-80.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.74 ISK 212

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$13.80 ISK 1,682

-77.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$23.38 ISK 2,851

-65.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$3.53 ISK 430

-66.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.45 ISK 420

-30.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$5.77 ISK 704

-82.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-47.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$6.63 ISK 808

-80.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.79 ISK 341

-67.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$81.4 ISK 9,923

-88.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$2.11 ISK 257

-36.97%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-53.89%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

-36.34%

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

$134 R$666

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

50.56%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$31.53 ISK 3,845

-61.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-73.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$100 ISK 12.2K

-68.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$48.20 ISK 5,877

-35.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$19.87 ISK 2,424

-58.58%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

-52.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

-57.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$161 ISK 19.6K

-74.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$64.9 ISK 7,914

-23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$183 ISK 22.3K

-58.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$254 ISK 31.0K

-73.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

-63.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

-73.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

-61.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

-71.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

-50.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

-75.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

-86.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.81

35.41%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 279% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 191% $410

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 21.7% $36

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 221% $362

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 182% $192

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 131% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 192% $92

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,499 in Reykjavik. 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 629% 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $625 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

3 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Reykjavik 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Reykjavik

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

Rio de Janeiro vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 214% more than Rio de Janeiro, 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 $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $6,055 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 214%.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,285 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 Rio de Janeiro. 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.