Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro de Atacama and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,088 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

San Pedro de Atacama
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,088
/mo nomad
Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,088 per month in San Pedro de Atacama vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • San Pedro de Atacama $1,088
  • Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $1,654 per month in San Pedro de Atacama vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • San Pedro de Atacama $1,654
  • Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in San Pedro de Atacama vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • San Pedro de Atacama $2,220
  • Reykjavik $7,295

San Pedro de Atacama is about 73% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Pedro de Atacama sits 19% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 201% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.18 CLP 6,998
$30.59 ISK 3,730
-76.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.01 CLP 42.9K
$136 ISK 16.5K
-67.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.79 CLP 7,597
$27.08 ISK 3,302
-71.23%
Cappuccino
$2.83 CLP 2,756
$6.72 ISK 819
-57.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CLP 1,528
$3.27 ISK 399
-51.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 CLP 1,140
$3.16 ISK 386
-62.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.57 CLP 3,483
$13.91 ISK 1,696
-74.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 CLP 3,747
$12.06 ISK 1,470
-68.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 CLP 1,162
$2.04 ISK 248
-41.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 CLP 1,470
$4.32 ISK 527
-65.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 CLP 1,589
$3.67 ISK 447
-55.59%
Eggs
$3.69 CLP 3,603
$7.02 ISK 856
-47.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.05 CLP 9,796
$22.01 ISK 2,684
-54.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.58 CLP 6,417
$24.70 ISK 3,012
-73.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.43 CLP 11.1K
$42.66 ISK 5,202
-73.21%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 CLP 1,915
$3.37 ISK 412
-41.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 CLP 1,540
$2.85 ISK 347
-44.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 CLP 1,728
$3.17 ISK 387
-44.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.72 CLP 1,682
$6.39 ISK 779
-73.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 CLP 1,612
$4.01 ISK 489
-58.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 CLP 1,441
$1.64 ISK 200
-9.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 CLP 1,306
$3.80 ISK 463
-64.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 CLP 1,196
$1.74 ISK 212
-29.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 CLP 5,218
$13.80 ISK 1,682
-61.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 CLP 5,043
$23.38 ISK 2,851
-77.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 CLP 1,584
$3.53 ISK 430
-54.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 CLP 2,151
$3.45 ISK 420
-35.94%
🚌 Getting Around
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.58 CLP 561
$5.77 ISK 704
-89.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.71 CLP 689
$6.63 ISK 808
-89.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.79 ISK 341
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$81.4 ISK 9,923
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 CLP 1,386
$2.11 ISK 257
-32.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K CLP 17.4M
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
-64.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CLP 19.2M
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
-62.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 CLP 130.7K
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
51.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.34 CLP 13.0K
$31.53 ISK 3,845
-57.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.93 CLP 21.4K
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
-74.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.95 CLP 37.0K
$100 ISK 12.2K
-62.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.81 CLP 22.2K
$48.20 ISK 5,877
-52.68%
Cinema Ticket
$5.25 CLP 5,122
$19.87 ISK 2,424
-73.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$385 CLP 375.7K
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
-69.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,507 CLP 8.3M
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
-72.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.52 CLP 45.4K
$161 ISK 19.6K
-71.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.15 CLP 24.5K
$64.9 ISK 7,914
-61.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.2 CLP 59.6K
$183 ISK 22.3K
-66.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 CLP 79.2K
$254 ISK 31.0K
-67.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 CLP 469.6K
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
-80.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$376 CLP 366.6K
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
-81.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$876 CLP 854.3K
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
-74.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 CLP 581.9K
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
-78.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,318 CLP 2.3M
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
-71.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Pedro de Atacama
Reykjavik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.01
8.81
-43.13%

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

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: October 3, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
San Pedro de Atacama
$376
Reykjavik
$2K 432% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
San Pedro de Atacama
$232
Reykjavik
$625 170% $394
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Pedro de Atacama
$169
Reykjavik
$205 21% $35
Eating Out
San Pedro de Atacama
$151
Reykjavik
$526 248% $375
Clothing & Footwear
San Pedro de Atacama
$96
Reykjavik
$298 209% $202
Sport & Entertainment
San Pedro de Atacama
$48
Reykjavik
$140 189% $92
Getting Around
San Pedro de Atacama
$3 *
Reykjavik
$139 4512% $136

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in San Pedro de Atacama 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 $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $625 – making San Pedro de Atacama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🕒 Local time
05:44 5:44 AM
08:44 8:44 AM
3 h ahead of San Pedro de Atacama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,347
136,894 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Pedro de Atacama Reykjavik 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • San Pedro de Atacama
  • 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 Pedro de Atacama vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, San Pedro de Atacama or Reykjavik?
Reykjavik costs about 271% more than San Pedro de Atacama, 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 San Pedro de Atacama and in Reykjavik?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,631 per month in San Pedro de Atacama 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, San Pedro de Atacama or Reykjavik?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama, 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 San Pedro de Atacama compared to Reykjavik?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 271%.
How do childcare costs compare in San Pedro de Atacama and in Reykjavik?
Kindergarten costs $385 per month in San Pedro de Atacama and $1,277 in Reykjavik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in San Pedro de Atacama or in Reykjavik?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro de Atacama, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In San Pedro de Atacama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, San Pedro de Atacama or Reykjavik?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Pedro de Atacama costs $1,088 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 San Pedro de Atacama 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 San Pedro de Atacama or to Reykjavik?
If budget matters most, go with San Pedro de Atacama. 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.

San Pedro de Atacama vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?