Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,813 a month against $4,040 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index

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Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,813 per month in Aarau vs $4,040 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Aarau $2,813
Reykjavik $4,040

A couple spends around $4,613 per month in Aarau vs $5,742 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Aarau $4,613
Reykjavik $5,742

A family of three spends $6,413 per month in Aarau vs $7,445 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Aarau $6,413
Reykjavik $7,445

Aarau is about 30% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Aarau and Reykjavik sit above the global median – Aarau by 107%, Reykjavik by 197%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.52

$31.42 ISK 3,815

-5.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 CHF 88.7

$125 ISK 15.2K

-14.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.33 CHF 15.12

$27.18 ISK 3,300

-32.56%

Cappuccino

$5.90 CHF 4.87

$6.65 ISK 807

-11.28%

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

$5.27 CHF 4.35

$3.41 ISK 414

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$3.04 ISK 369

57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 CHF 4.91

$14.18 ISK 1,721

-58.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 CHF 5.35

$12.16 ISK 1,477

-46.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$2.10 ISK 255

-1.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 CHF 2.96

$4.14 ISK 502

-13.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 CHF 2.20

$3.69 ISK 447

-27.64%

Eggs

$7.06 CHF 5.82

$7.09 ISK 860

-0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.59 CHF 26.06

$22.32 ISK 2,709

41.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.20

$24.78 ISK 3,008

18.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.32 CHF 34.09

$42.67 ISK 5,181

-3.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$3.29 ISK 400

-13.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.88 ISK 350

-40.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 CHF 1.99

$3.27 ISK 397

-26.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 CHF 4.74

$6.37 ISK 773

-9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$3.96 ISK 481

-57.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.62 ISK 197

19.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$3.70 ISK 449

-38.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.77 ISK 215

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.94

$13.66 ISK 1,658

-20.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 CHF 8.63

$24.16 ISK 2,933

-56.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$3.66 ISK 444

-30.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.37

$3.43 ISK 416

-16.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$5.49 ISK 666

-9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$147 CHF 122

$96.1 ISK 11.7K

53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 CHF 3.72

$6.85 ISK 831

-34.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 CHF 2.37

$2.90 ISK 352

-1.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 CHF 50.2

$81.8 ISK 9,935

-25.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.02 ISK 245

8.42%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$68.2K ISK 8.3M

-43.41%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

-31.40%

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

$121 CHF 99.6

$95.9 ISK 11.6K

25.82%

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

$28.73 CHF 23.70

$32.16 ISK 3,904

-10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CHF 47.26

$86.4 ISK 10.5K

-33.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.2 CHF 80.1

$96.9 ISK 11.8K

0.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.5 CHF 50.7

$51.2 ISK 6,216

20.12%

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.08

$19.28 ISK 2,340

13.69%

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

$3,172 CHF 2,617

$1,178 ISK 143.0K

169.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K CHF 20.2K

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

-5.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 CHF 74.3

$152 ISK 18.5K

-40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.5 CHF 59.0

$66.5 ISK 8,076

7.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 CHF 89.8

$183 ISK 22.3K

-40.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 CHF 138

$246 ISK 29.8K

-31.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 CHF 1,041

$2,585 ISK 313.8K

-51.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 CHF 859

$2,098 ISK 254.7K

-50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 CHF 1,874

$3,513 ISK 426.5K

-35.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 CHF 1,777

$2,792 ISK 338.9K

-22.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,038 ISK 975.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$6,305 ISK 765.5K

92.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,963 CHF 5,744

$4,549 ISK 552.3K

53.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

8.81

-73.78%

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

Last update for Aarau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarau

$1K 37%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.9% 102% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Aarau

$595 21.1%

Reykjavik

$628 15.5% 5.5% $33

Eating Out

Aarau

$447 15.9%

Reykjavik

$534 13.2% 19.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarau

$207 7.4%

Reykjavik

$215 5.3% 3.8% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Aarau

$197 7%

Reykjavik

$291 7.2% 47.8% $94

Getting Around

Aarau

$186 6.6%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 25% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Aarau

$141 5%

Reykjavik

$135 3.4% 4% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,263 in Aarau versus $2,585 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 53% higher in Aarau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Aarau versus $125 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $595 vs $628 – making Aarau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Aarau

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h behind Aarau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,191

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aarau Reykjavik 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aarau
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

Aarau vs Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 44% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,220 per month in Aarau and $6,061 in Reykjavik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,263 there versus $2,585 in Reykjavik.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Reykjavik. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,172 per month in Aarau and $1,178 in Reykjavik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,813 in Aarau and $4,040 in Reykjavik. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Reykjavik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,813 in Aarau to $4,040 in Reykjavik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.