Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $37,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in San Juan vs $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San Juan $890
Reykjavik $4,002

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in San Juan vs $5,705 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San Juan $1,389
Reykjavik $5,705

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in San Juan vs $7,407 in Reykjavik, rent included.

San Juan $1,888
Reykjavik $7,407

San Juan is about 78% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 34% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 196% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-78.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

$122 ISK 14.8K

-67.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-55.03%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ARS 3,938

$6.81 ISK 827

-61.97%

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

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$3.39 ISK 411

-37.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$3.20 ISK 388

-43.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 5,930

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-72.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ARS 6,799

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-63.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,101

$2.10 ISK 255

-34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ARS 2,195

$4.19 ISK 508

-65.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,124

$3.72 ISK 451

-62.37%

Eggs

$1.44 ARS 2,184

$7.05 ISK 856

-79.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,305

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-86.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,448

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-74.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-74.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$3.23 ISK 392

-56.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,108

$2.73 ISK 331

-49.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,037

$3.17 ISK 384

-57.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,193

$6.61 ISK 802

-78.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,128

$3.85 ISK 467

-63.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,098

$1.66 ISK 201

-16.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$3.80 ISK 461

-63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,183

$1.75 ISK 212

-17.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,117

$13.71 ISK 1,662

-80.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,433

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ARS 2,136

$3.53 ISK 428

-60.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,178

$3.32 ISK 402

-56.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ARS 1,460

$5.75 ISK 697

-83.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$6.61 ISK 802

-70.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$2.90 ISK 352

-65.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 ARS 7,351

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-93.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,782

$2.09 ISK 253

-44.02%

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

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-47.60%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-36.84%

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

$144 ARS 218.7K

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

51.29%

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

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

$32.35 ISK 3,923

-68.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-79.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

$102 ISK 12.4K

-70.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-65.14%

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

$172 ARS 260.5K

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-85.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-83.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$149 ISK 18.1K

-28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

$66.6 ISK 8,080

-36.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

$180 ISK 21.8K

-67.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-85.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ARS 378.2K

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-90.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 301.1K

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-90.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 747.1K

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-85.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ARS 607.2K

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-85.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$700 ARS 1.1M

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

-84.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

512.94%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$198 22.3%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 936% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 229% $433

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$172 19.3%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 25.1% $43

Eating Out

San Juan

$166 18.6%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 224% $371

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 167% $182

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 5%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 220% $97

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 1182% $127

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $249 in San Juan 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 553% 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 $39.00 in San Juan versus $122 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $623 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

13:56 1:56 PM

3 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Reykjavik 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Reykjavik costs about 350% more than San Juan, 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 $1,335 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, 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 $890 in San Juan and $4,002 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 350%.

Kindergarten costs $172 per month in San Juan and $1,194 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 Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In San Juan 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 Juan costs $890 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 San Juan. 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.