Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Jose dos Campos and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,050 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $35,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sao Jose dos Campos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,050
/mo nomad
Reykjavik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$4,037
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Jose dos Campos 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 Sao Jose dos Campos and in Reykjavik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,050 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Sao Jose dos Campos $1,050
  • Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $1,660 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660
  • Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $2,270 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

  • Sao Jose dos Campos $2,270
  • Reykjavik $7,295

Sao Jose dos Campos is about 74% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Jose dos Campos sits 22% below the global median, while Reykjavik is 201% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.08 R$35.33
$30.59 ISK 3,730
-76.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.82 R$199
$136 ISK 16.5K
-70.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.10 R$45.41
$27.08 ISK 3,302
-66.40%
Cappuccino
$2.30 R$11.46
$6.72 ISK 819
-65.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 R$8.47
$3.27 ISK 399
-48.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 R$5.82
$3.16 ISK 386
-62.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.87 R$14.35
$13.91 ISK 1,696
-79.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 R$21.71
$12.06 ISK 1,470
-63.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R$5.99
$2.04 ISK 248
-41.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.08 R$10.36
$4.32 ISK 527
-51.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 R$5.96
$3.67 ISK 447
-67.57%
Eggs
$2.70 R$13.48
$7.02 ISK 856
-61.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.14 R$45.61
$22.01 ISK 2,684
-58.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 R$22.21
$24.70 ISK 3,012
-81.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.75 R$53.7
$42.66 ISK 5,202
-74.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.84 R$14.17
$3.37 ISK 412
-15.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 R$9.34
$2.85 ISK 347
-34.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 R$9.21
$3.17 ISK 387
-41.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 R$9.38
$6.39 ISK 779
-70.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R$7.13
$4.01 ISK 489
-64.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 R$6.82
$1.64 ISK 200
-16.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 R$4.72
$3.80 ISK 463
-75.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 R$3.99
$1.74 ISK 212
-54.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.82 R$14.08
$13.80 ISK 1,682
-79.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.00 R$44.91
$23.38 ISK 2,851
-61.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 R$8.66
$3.53 ISK 430
-50.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 R$22.00
$3.45 ISK 420
27.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 R$5.91
$5.77 ISK 704
-79.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.37 R$192
$95.1 ISK 11.6K
-59.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 R$6.72
$6.63 ISK 808
-79.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 R$7.08
$2.79 ISK 341
-49.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.39 R$46.89
$81.4 ISK 9,923
-88.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 R$6.36
$2.11 ISK 257
-39.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K R$119.1K
$50.8K ISK 6.2M
-53.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K R$168.9K
$52.7K ISK 6.4M
-35.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.80 R$219
$88.7 ISK 10.8K
-50.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.25 R$71.1
$31.53 ISK 3,845
-54.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.34 R$91.5
$84.6 ISK 10.3K
-78.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.98 R$150
$100 ISK 12.2K
-70.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.77 R$174
$48.20 ISK 5,877
-27.86%
Cinema Ticket
$7.92 R$39.53
$19.87 ISK 2,424
-60.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$433 R$2,161
$1,277 ISK 155.8K
-66.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,714 R$38.5K
$31.0K ISK 3.8M
-75.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.6 R$283
$161 ISK 19.6K
-64.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.8 R$298
$64.9 ISK 7,914
-7.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.3 R$480
$183 ISK 22.3K
-47.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.5 R$422
$254 ISK 31.0K
-66.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$485 R$2,421
$2,499 ISK 304.8K
-80.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 R$1,802
$2,000 ISK 243.9K
-81.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$974 R$4,864
$3,452 ISK 421.0K
-71.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$664 R$3,317
$2,742 ISK 334.4K
-75.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,085 R$10.4K
$8,001 ISK 975.7K
-73.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,498 R$7,477
$6,249 ISK 762.1K
-76.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Jose dos Campos
Reykjavik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$813 R$4,059
$4,691 ISK 572.0K
-82.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.12
8.81
26.22%

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

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: 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
Sao Jose dos Campos
$361
Reykjavik
$2K 454% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Sao Jose dos Campos
$228
Reykjavik
$625 174% $397
Eating Out
Sao Jose dos Campos
$146
Reykjavik
$526 260% $380
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Jose dos Campos
$134
Reykjavik
$298 123% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Jose dos Campos
$76
Reykjavik
$205 168% $128
Getting Around
Sao Jose dos Campos
$52
Reykjavik
$139 169% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Jose dos Campos
$46
Reykjavik
$140 206% $94

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos 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.

Salaries run about 477% 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 $40.00 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $625 – making Sao Jose dos Campos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos
🇮🇸 Reykjavik
🕒 Local time
03:00 3:00 AM
06:00 6:00 AM
3 h ahead of Sao Jose dos Campos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
697,054
136,894 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Jose dos Campos Reykjavik 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Jose dos Campos
  • 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
Sao Jose dos Campos vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sao Jose dos Campos or Reykjavik?
Reykjavik costs about 284% more than Sao Jose dos Campos, 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 Sao Jose dos Campos and in Reykjavik?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,575 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos 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, Sao Jose dos Campos or Reykjavik?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos, 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 Sao Jose dos Campos compared to Reykjavik?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 284%.
How expensive is transport in Sao Jose dos Campos compared to Reykjavik?
Public transport costs about 148% less in Sao Jose dos Campos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Sao Jose dos Campos or in Reykjavik?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Jose dos Campos, where all-in costs run around $1,050, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Sao Jose dos Campos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Sao Jose dos Campos or Reykjavik?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Jose dos Campos costs $1,050 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 Sao Jose dos Campos 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 Sao Jose dos Campos or to Reykjavik?
If budget matters most, go with Sao Jose dos Campos. 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.

Sao Jose dos Campos vs other spots: cost of living compared

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