Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Andrews and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Andrews: $2,255 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Saint Andrews
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,255
/mo nomad
Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Andrews 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 Saint Andrews and in Reykjavik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Saint Andrews vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Saint Andrews $2,255
  • Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $3,245 per month in Saint Andrews vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Saint Andrews $3,245
  • Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $4,234 per month in Saint Andrews vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Saint Andrews $4,234
  • Reykjavik $7,295

Saint Andrews is about 44% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint Andrews and Reykjavik sit above the global median – Saint Andrews by 68%, Reykjavik by 201%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.75 CA$25.30
$30.59 ISK 3,730
-41.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.8 CA$91.0
$136 ISK 16.5K
-52.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 CA$15.10
$27.08 ISK 3,302
-60.89%
Cappuccino
$3.72 CA$5.30
$6.72 ISK 819
-44.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 CA$2.83
$3.27 ISK 399
-39.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 CA$2.25
$3.16 ISK 386
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.17 CA$7.38
$13.91 ISK 1,696
-62.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.77 CA$8.22
$12.06 ISK 1,470
-52.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 CA$2.91
$2.04 ISK 248
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 CA$3.51
$4.32 ISK 527
-43.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.36 CA$4.79
$3.67 ISK 447
-8.45%
Eggs
$3.47 CA$4.94
$7.02 ISK 856
-50.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 CA$13.86
$22.01 ISK 2,684
-55.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.12 CA$15.85
$24.70 ISK 3,012
-54.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.72 CA$20.98
$42.66 ISK 5,202
-65.49%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 CA$5.22
$3.37 ISK 412
8.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.93
$2.85 ISK 347
-52.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.70 CA$5.28
$3.17 ISK 387
16.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.73 CA$5.31
$6.39 ISK 779
-41.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.59 CA$3.70
$4.01 ISK 489
-35.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 CA$3.21
$1.64 ISK 200
37.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 CA$3.61
$3.80 ISK 463
-33.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.24
$1.74 ISK 212
-9.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.96 CA$19.90
$13.80 ISK 1,682
1.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.42 CA$17.70
$23.38 ISK 2,851
-46.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.73 CA$3.89
$3.53 ISK 430
-22.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 CA$4.46
$3.45 ISK 420
-9.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.31 CA$3.29
$5.77 ISK 704
-59.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.1 CA$90.0
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
-33.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.82 CA$4.02
$6.63 ISK 808
-57.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 CA$2.12
$2.79 ISK 341
-46.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.25 CA$33.14
$81.4 ISK 9,923
-71.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 CA$1.59
$2.11 ISK 257
-47.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$40.1K
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
-44.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K CA$26.9K
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
-64.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 CA$197
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
55.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.11 CA$54.3
$31.53 ISK 3,845
20.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.0 CA$78.4
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
-35.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.69 CA$58.0
$100 ISK 12.2K
-59.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.31 CA$26.10
$48.20 ISK 5,877
-62.01%
Cinema Ticket
$10.95 CA$15.61
$19.87 ISK 2,424
-44.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$724 CA$1,033
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
-43.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K CA$18.9K
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
-57.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.2 CA$77.2
$161 ISK 19.6K
-66.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.35 CA$53.2
$64.9 ISK 7,914
-42.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 CA$120
$183 ISK 22.3K
-53.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.9 CA$142
$254 ISK 31.0K
-60.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 CA$1,766
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
-50.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,151 CA$1,640
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
-42.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,984 CA$2,829
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
-42.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,678 CA$2,392
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
-38.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,169 CA$5,942
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
-47.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,576 CA$5,097
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
-42.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint Andrews
Reykjavik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.64
8.81
-47.33%

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

Last update for Saint Andrews: October 5, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint Andrews
$1.2K
Reykjavik
$2K 73.8% $849
Groceries & Markets
Saint Andrews
$347
Reykjavik
$625 80.1% $278
Eating Out
Saint Andrews
$270
Reykjavik
$526 94.7% $256
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Andrews
$231
Reykjavik
$205 11.4% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Saint Andrews
$124
Reykjavik
$298 140% $174
Getting Around
Saint Andrews
$83
Reykjavik
$139 68.1% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Saint Andrews
$63
Reykjavik
$140 124% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,239 in Saint Andrews 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Saint Andrews versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $625 – making Saint Andrews the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Saint Andrews
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🕒 Local time
04:47 4:47 AM
07:47 7:47 AM
3 h ahead of Saint Andrews
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,894 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 7.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint Andrews Reykjavik 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint Andrews
  • Reykjavik

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Saint Andrews vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Saint Andrews or Reykjavik?
Reykjavik costs about 79% more than Saint Andrews, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Saint Andrews and in Reykjavik?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,383 per month in Saint Andrews and $6,055 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Saint Andrews or Reykjavik?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint Andrews, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Saint Andrews compared to Reykjavik?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,255 in Saint Andrews and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 79%.
How expensive is transport in Saint Andrews compared to Reykjavik?
Public transport costs about 51% less in Saint Andrews. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Saint Andrews or in Reykjavik?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Saint Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Saint Andrews or Reykjavik?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint Andrews costs $2,255 versus $4,037 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Saint Andrews compared to Reykjavik?
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.
Should I move to Saint Andrews or to Reykjavik?
If budget matters most, go with Saint Andrews. 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.

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