Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,934 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Reykjavik $4,002

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $5,705 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Reykjavik $5,705

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $7,407 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Reykjavik $7,407

Saint John, New Brunswick is about 52% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Reykjavik sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Reykjavik by 196%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-41.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$122 ISK 14.8K

-51.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-61.17%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$6.81 ISK 827

-55.95%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$3.39 ISK 411

-50.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$3.20 ISK 388

-66.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-59.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$2.10 ISK 255

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$4.19 ISK 508

-36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.72 ISK 451

-16.13%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$7.05 ISK 856

-51.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-52.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-69.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$3.23 ISK 392

48.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$2.73 ISK 331

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$3.17 ISK 384

31.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$6.61 ISK 802

-41.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$3.85 ISK 467

-48.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.66 ISK 201

32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$3.80 ISK 461

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.75 ISK 212

-19.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$13.71 ISK 1,662

1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.53 ISK 428

-49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$3.32 ISK 402

-36.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$5.75 ISK 697

-64.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

-40.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$6.61 ISK 802

-55.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$2.90 ISK 352

-63.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-78.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$2.09 ISK 253

-40.19%

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-52.30%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-64.72%

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

$120 CA$169

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

25.45%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$32.35 ISK 3,923

28.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-26.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$102 ISK 12.4K

-48.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$50.1 ISK 6,074

-30.05%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-35.71%

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

$378 CA$534

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-68.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-56.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$149 ISK 18.1K

-67.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$66.6 ISK 8,080

-47.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$180 ISK 21.8K

-42.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$253 ISK 30.7K

-58.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-61.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-60.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-53.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-52.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

-75.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

-66.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

-47.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

8.81

-46.77%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 151% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 77.8% $272

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 109% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 122% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 81.9% $64

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 90.2% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,549 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 90% 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $122 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $623 – making Saint John, New Brunswick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

3 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John, New Brunswick Reykjavik 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 107% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick and $6,003 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $4,002 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 107%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Saint John, New Brunswick. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,934, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint John, New Brunswick costs $1,934 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 Saint John, New Brunswick. 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.