Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $743 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $39,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $743 per month in Santa Maria vs $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Santa Maria $743
Reykjavik $4,002

A couple spends around $1,242 per month in Santa Maria vs $5,705 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,242
Reykjavik $5,705

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Santa Maria vs $7,407 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,742
Reykjavik $7,407

Santa Maria is about 81% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Maria sits 45% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 196% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 R$27.65

$31.56 ISK 3,828

-82.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 R$186

$122 ISK 14.8K

-70.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.57

$26.86 ISK 3,258

-74.61%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.36

$6.81 ISK 827

-72.83%

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

$1.07 R$5.40

$3.39 ISK 411

-68.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.46

$3.20 ISK 388

-78.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.29

$14.14 ISK 1,715

-88.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.55

$12.31 ISK 1,493

-75.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.27

$2.10 ISK 255

-50.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.31

$4.19 ISK 508

-60.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$3.72 ISK 451

-70.97%

Eggs

$2.10 R$10.64

$7.05 ISK 856

-70.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 R$47.80

$21.56 ISK 2,615

-56.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 R$20.07

$24.68 ISK 2,993

-83.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 R$41.58

$42.19 ISK 5,117

-80.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 R$12.57

$3.23 ISK 392

-23.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 R$7.61

$2.73 ISK 331

-45.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$3.17 ISK 384

-57.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.75

$6.61 ISK 802

-76.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.88

$3.85 ISK 467

-69.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.66 ISK 201

-31.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.37

$3.80 ISK 461

-77.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.75 ISK 212

-53.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.07

$13.71 ISK 1,662

-82.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.44

$24.21 ISK 2,937

-66.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.77

$3.53 ISK 428

-67.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R$11.09

$3.32 ISK 402

-34.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$5.75 ISK 697

-82.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 R$155

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

-67.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.70

$6.61 ISK 802

-80.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.39

$2.90 ISK 352

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 R$41.36

$79.2 ISK 9,602

-89.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.09 ISK 253

-41.15%

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

$23.9K R$121.2K

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

-53.12%

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

$32.6K R$165.3K

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-38.81%

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

$53.4 R$271

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

-43.92%

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

$12.65 R$64.1

$32.35 ISK 3,923

-60.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.66 R$84.5

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

-80.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.82 R$121

$102 ISK 12.4K

-76.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R$61.1

$50.1 ISK 6,074

-75.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$28.68

$19.88 ISK 2,412

-71.53%

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

$163 R$828

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

-86.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 R$15.5K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-88.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$260

$149 ISK 18.1K

-65.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 R$220

$66.6 ISK 8,080

-34.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 R$486

$180 ISK 21.8K

-46.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.3 R$316

$253 ISK 30.7K

-75.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,486

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

-88.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 R$870

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

-91.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 R$3,285

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

-81.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,982

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

-85.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 R$10.3K

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

-75.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 R$3,416

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

-89.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 R$3,227

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

-86.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

13.51%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$192 25.9%

Reykjavik

$623 15.6% 224% $431

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$172 23.1%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4% 1099% $1.9K

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.3%

Reykjavik

$292 7.3% 157% $178

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$108 14.5%

Reykjavik

$536 13.4% 399% $429

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$83 11.1%

Reykjavik

$215 5.4% 160% $132

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$40 5.4%

Reykjavik

$138 3.5% 243% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$35 4.7%

Reykjavik

$142 3.5% 303% $107

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Santa Maria 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 618% 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 Santa Maria versus $122 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $623 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Maria Reykjavik 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
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 Maria vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 439% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,114 per month in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria, 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 $743 in Santa Maria and $4,002 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 439%.

Public transport costs about 207% less in Santa Maria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Reykjavik at $4,002. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Maria costs $743 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 Santa Maria. 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.