Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,071 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Fe
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,071
/mo nomad
Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,002
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,071 per month in Santa Fe vs $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Santa Fe $1,071
  • Reykjavik $4,002

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in Santa Fe vs $5,705 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Santa Fe $1,655
  • Reykjavik $5,705

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Santa Fe vs $7,407 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Santa Fe $2,239
  • Reykjavik $7,407

Santa Fe is about 73% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Fe sits 21% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 196% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.93 ARS 15.1K
$31.56 ISK 3,848
-68.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.60 ARS 57.0K
$122 ISK 14.9K
-69.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.68 ARS 19.2K
$26.86 ISK 3,275
-52.79%
Cappuccino
$1.69 ARS 2,556
$6.81 ISK 831
-75.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,348
$3.39 ISK 413
-54.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 ARS 2,020
$3.20 ISK 390
-58.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 ARS 5,208
$14.14 ISK 1,724
-75.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.99 ARS 7,572
$12.31 ISK 1,501
-59.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 ARS 1,526
$2.10 ISK 256
-51.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ARS 2,481
$4.19 ISK 511
-60.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 ARS 1,572
$3.72 ISK 454
-72.04%
Eggs
$1.54 ARS 2,341
$7.05 ISK 860
-78.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.60 ARS 13.0K
$21.56 ISK 2,630
-60.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.07 ARS 9,200
$24.68 ISK 3,010
-75.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.68 ARS 16.2K
$42.19 ISK 5,145
-74.69%
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,016
$3.23 ISK 394
-38.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 ARS 2,298
$2.73 ISK 333
-44.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.87 ARS 1,316
$3.17 ISK 387
-72.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.38 ARS 3,602
$6.61 ISK 807
-63.99%
Potato (1kg)
$0.57 ARS 867
$3.85 ISK 469
-85.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 ARS 955
$1.66 ISK 202
-62.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ARS 1,553
$3.80 ISK 464
-73.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 ARS 1,546
$1.75 ISK 213
-41.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.11 ARS 4,715
$13.71 ISK 1,672
-77.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.87 ARS 7,389
$24.21 ISK 2,953
-79.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ARS 1,861
$3.53 ISK 431
-65.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,109
$3.32 ISK 404
-38.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 ARS 1,570
$5.75 ISK 701
-81.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$93.8 ISK 11.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.01 ARS 1,538
$6.61 ISK 807
-84.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,479
$2.90 ISK 354
-66.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$79.2 ISK 9,654
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ARS 1,736
$2.09 ISK 255
-45.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.0K ARS 30.3M
$51.0K ISK 6.2M
-60.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.8K ARS 45.2M
$53.3K ISK 6.5M
-44.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.1 ARS 91.2K
$95.3 ISK 11.6K
-36.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.86 ARS 30.1K
$32.35 ISK 3,945
-38.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.95 ARS 31.8K
$87.5 ISK 10.7K
-76.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.96 ARS 51.5K
$102 ISK 12.4K
-66.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$50.1 ISK 6,107
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.83 ARS 7,327
$19.88 ISK 2,425
-75.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$238 ARS 361.5K
$1,194 ISK 145.6K
-80.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$25.4K ISK 3.1M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 ARS 133.7K
$149 ISK 18.2K
-40.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.4 ARS 91.6K
$66.6 ISK 8,124
-9.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ARS 173.7K
$180 ISK 21.9K
-36.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 212.8K
$253 ISK 30.9K
-44.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$513 ARS 777.2K
$2,549 ISK 310.9K
-79.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 ARS 545.9K
$2,056 ISK 250.7K
-82.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$931 ARS 1.4M
$3,498 ISK 426.5K
-73.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$609 ARS 923.1K
$2,764 ISK 337.0K
-77.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$8,120 ISK 990.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,254 ISK 762.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Fe
Reykjavik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$847 ARS 1.3M
$4,573 ISK 557.7K
-81.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
100
8.81
1035.07%

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

Last update for Santa Fe: October 11, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santa Fe
$360
Reykjavik
$2.1K 471% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Santa Fe
$199
Reykjavik
$623 214% $424
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Fe
$182
Reykjavik
$292 60.8% $110
Eating Out
Santa Fe
$176
Reykjavik
$536 204% $360
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Fe
$101
Reykjavik
$215 113% $114
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Fe
$44
Reykjavik
$142 225% $98
Getting Around
Santa Fe
$10 *
Reykjavik
$138 1275% $128

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $513 in Santa Fe 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 440% 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 $38.00 in Santa Fe versus $122 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $623 – making Santa Fe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Santa Fe
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🕒 Local time
15:49 3:49 PM
18:49 6:49 PM
3 h ahead of Santa Fe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
391,164
136,894 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Fe Reykjavik 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Fe
  • 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
Santa Fe vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Santa Fe or Reykjavik?
Reykjavik costs about 274% more than Santa Fe, 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 Santa Fe and in Reykjavik?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,607 per month in Santa Fe and $6,003 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Santa Fe or Reykjavik?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Fe, 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 Santa Fe compared to Reykjavik?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,071 in Santa Fe and $4,002 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 274%.
How do childcare costs compare in Santa Fe and in Reykjavik?
Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Santa Fe and $1,194 in Reykjavik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Santa Fe or in Reykjavik?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Fe, where all-in costs run around $1,071, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Santa Fe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Santa Fe or Reykjavik?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Fe costs $1,071 versus $4,002 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe or to Reykjavik?
If budget matters most, go with Santa Fe. 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.

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