Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,332 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $32,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,332 per month in Salto vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Salto $1,332
Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $1,921 per month in Salto vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Salto $1,921
Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $2,510 per month in Salto vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Salto $2,510
Reykjavik $7,295

Salto is about 67% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salto sits 1% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 201% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 UYU 642

$30.59 ISK 3,727

-47.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.19 UYU 1,493

$136 ISK 16.5K

-72.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 UYU 476

$27.08 ISK 3,300

-56.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 UYU 131

$6.72 ISK 818

-51.49%

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

$2.21 UYU 88.9

$3.27 ISK 399

-32.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 UYU 63.0

$3.16 ISK 386

-50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 UYU 183

$13.91 ISK 1,695

-67.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 UYU 124

$12.06 ISK 1,469

-74.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 UYU 56.1

$2.04 ISK 248

-31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 UYU 85.0

$4.32 ISK 526

-50.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 UYU 60.2

$3.67 ISK 447

-59.13%

Eggs

$5.34 UYU 215

$7.02 ISK 855

-23.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 UYU 604

$22.01 ISK 2,682

-31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 UYU 350

$24.70 ISK 3,009

-64.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 UYU 396

$42.66 ISK 5,198

-76.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 50.9

$3.37 ISK 411

-62.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.6

$2.85 ISK 347

-24.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 UYU 49.86

$3.17 ISK 387

-60.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 UYU 74.7

$6.39 ISK 779

-70.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 UYU 35.99

$4.01 ISK 489

-77.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 UYU 66.7

$1.64 ISK 200

1.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 UYU 35.73

$3.80 ISK 462

-76.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 UYU 61.3

$1.74 ISK 212

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 UYU 213

$13.80 ISK 1,681

-61.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 UYU 303

$23.38 ISK 2,849

-67.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$3.53 ISK 430

-45.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 UYU 105

$3.45 ISK 420

-24.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 UYU 23.95

$5.77 ISK 703

-89.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.75 UYU 1,194

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-68.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.61 UYU 145

$2.79 ISK 340

29.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 UYU 78.2

$2.11 ISK 257

-7.58%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

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

$200 UYU 8,020

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

125.28%

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

$21.70 UYU 871

$31.53 ISK 3,842

-31.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 UYU 1,189

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-65.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 UYU 1,475

$100 ISK 12.2K

-63.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 UYU 500

$48.20 ISK 5,873

-74.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 UYU 399

$19.87 ISK 2,422

-50.03%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 UYU 179.2K

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

-85.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 UYU 3,432

$161 ISK 19.6K

-46.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 UYU 2,244

$64.9 ISK 7,908

-13.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 UYU 4,569

$183 ISK 22.3K

-37.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 UYU 2,693

$254 ISK 30.9K

-73.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 UYU 17.6K

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

-82.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 UYU 12.1K

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

-84.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 UYU 30.1K

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

-78.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 UYU 16.7K

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

-84.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 UYU 25.2K

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

-86.61%

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 Salto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$300 22.7%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 566% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$272 20.6%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 130% $353

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$251 19%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 18.4% $46

Eating Out

Salto

$247 18.7%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 113% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$145 11%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 106% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$57 4.3%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 148% $84

Getting Around

Salto

$50 * 3.8%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 177% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Salto 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 647% 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 $37.00 in Salto versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $625 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

3 h ahead of Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

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).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salto Reykjavik 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

Salto vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 203% more than Salto, 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 $1,998 per month in Salto 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 Salto, 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 $1,332 in Salto and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 203%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Salto and $136 in Reykjavik. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,332, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Salto costs $1,332 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 Salto. 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.