Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $4,023 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San José $913
Reykjavik $4,023

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $5,708 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San José $1,449
Reykjavik $5,708

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $7,393 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San José $1,985
Reykjavik $7,393

San José is about 77% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 197% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$31.00 ISK 3,760

-58.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$123 ISK 14.9K

-64.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$27.21 ISK 3,300

-49.21%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$6.90 ISK 837

-29.28%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$3.30 ISK 401

-27.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$3.16 ISK 384

-30.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$13.84 ISK 1,678

-78.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$12.46 ISK 1,512

-72.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$2.06 ISK 250

-51.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$4.11 ISK 498

-51.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$3.68 ISK 446

-60.05%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$7.27 ISK 882

-63.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$21.79 ISK 2,643

-44.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$23.95 ISK 2,905

-69.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$41.43 ISK 5,025

-70.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$3.42 ISK 414

-64.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$2.84 ISK 344

-45.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$3.23 ISK 391

-62.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$6.46 ISK 783

-76.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$4.05 ISK 491

-75.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$1.66 ISK 202

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$3.86 ISK 468

-61.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$1.84 ISK 223

8.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$13.96 ISK 1,693

-29.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$23.76 ISK 2,882

-65.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$3.54 ISK 430

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$3.44 ISK 418

-2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.81 ISK 705

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$6.72 ISK 815

-47.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$2.81 ISK 340

22.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$81.3 ISK 9,866

-87.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$2.12 ISK 257

1.42%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$68.9K ISK 8.4M

-47.18%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

-28.22%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

18.25%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$33.11 ISK 4,016

-28.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

-45.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ISK 12.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.7 ISK 6,155

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$19.85 ISK 2,407

-37.78%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$1,195 ISK 144.9K

-58.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

-74.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$148 ISK 18.0K

-40.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$66.8 ISK 8,096

-43.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$187 ISK 22.6K

-11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$253 ISK 30.6K

-53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 ISK 312.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 ISK 252.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,455 ISK 419.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,752 ISK 333.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,933 ISK 962.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,377 ISK 773.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,695 ISK 569.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

-43.25%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Reykjavik

$619 15.4% 142% $363

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Reykjavik

$532 13.2% 119% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Reykjavik

$216 5.4% 17.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Reykjavik

$294 7.3% 60.6% $111

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Reykjavik

$141 3.5% 470% $116

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 571% $119

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San José versus $123 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $619 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

3 h ahead of San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

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 = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San José Reykjavik 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
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

San José vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 341% more than San José, 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 $1,369 per month in San José and $6,034 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in San José and $4,023 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 341%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in San José and $1,195 in Reykjavik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Reykjavik at $4,023. In San José it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San José costs $913 versus $4,023 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 San José. 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.