Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akranes and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,713 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Akranes, Iceland
Lisbon, Portugal
Akranes
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,713
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Akranes and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Akranes and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,713 in Akranes versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Akranes $3,713
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,859 in Akranes versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Akranes $5,859
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,006 in Akranes versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Akranes $8,006
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Akranes is roughly 68% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Akranes 173% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.70 ISK 3,862
$16.65 €14.95
90.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$123 ISK 15.0K
$61.7 €55.5
99.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$26.72 ISK 3,255
$11.36 €10.20
135.21%
Cappuccino
$6.01 ISK 733
$2.97 €2.67
102.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ISK 389
$2.29 €2.06
39.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 ISK 306
$1.74 €1.56
44.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.69 ISK 1,302
$3.40 €3.06
214.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.10 ISK 987
$3.31 €2.97
144.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.10 ISK 255
$1.16 €1.04
81.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 ISK 248
$1.91 €1.72
6.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 ISK 452
$1.51 €1.36
145.70%
Eggs
$6.26 ISK 763
$4.02 €3.61
55.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.35 ISK 2,479
$12.94 €11.62
57.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.72 ISK 3,012
$7.77 €6.98
218.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.16 ISK 5,137
$17.76 €15.95
137.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ISK 402
$2.30 €2.07
43.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 ISK 331
$1.73 €1.56
57.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.23 ISK 394
$1.86 €1.67
73.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.89 ISK 596
$2.59 €2.33
88.80%
Potato (1kg)
$3.82 ISK 465
$1.82 €1.64
109.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 ISK 208
$1.97 €1.77
-13.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.65 ISK 445
$1.47 €1.32
148.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 ISK 221
$0.72 €0.65
151.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.90 ISK 1,693
$6.58 €5.91
111.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.57 ISK 2,872
$5.61 €5.04
320.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 ISK 351
$1.36 €1.22
111.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 ISK 252
$2.14 €1.92
-3.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.61 ISK 440
$2.33 €2.10
54.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.3 ISK 8,809
$44.68 €40.14
61.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.55 ISK 798
$3.85 €3.46
70.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 ISK 153
$1.07 €0.96
16.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.9 ISK 9,980
$16.46 €14.79
397.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 ISK 253
$2.20 €1.98
-5.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$67.8K ISK 8.3M
$34.2K €30.7K
98.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$54.6K ISK 6.6M
$38.7K €34.8K
40.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ISK 11.7K
$161 €145
-40.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.29 ISK 4,056
$18.41 €16.54
80.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$85.0 ISK 10.4K
$32.74 €29.41
159.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$104 ISK 12.7K
$44.55 €40.02
133.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.10 €17.16
-
Cinema Ticket
$19.29 ISK 2,351
$9.60 €8.62
100.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,205 ISK 146.8K
$668 €600
80.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.1K ISK 3.2M
$17.6K €15.8K
47.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$150 ISK 18.2K
$102 €91.6
46.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.1 ISK 8,176
$44.46 €39.94
50.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$179 ISK 21.8K
$98.5 €88.5
81.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$246 ISK 29.9K
$124 €111
98.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,064 ISK 373.3K
$1,608 €1,445
90.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,889 ISK 230.2K
$1,190 €1,069
58.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,013 ISK 610.8K
$2,812 €2,526
78.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,654 ISK 445.2K
$2,013 €1,808
81.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,839 €7,042
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,576 €4,110
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Akranes
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,704 ISK 695.0K
$1,575 €1,415
262.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.81
3.85
128.83%

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

Last update for Akranes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Akranes
$1.9K
Lisbon
$1.2K 37% $699
Groceries & Markets
Akranes
$579
Lisbon
$272 53% $307
Eating Out
Akranes
$498
Lisbon
$243 51.3% $256
Clothing & Footwear
Akranes
$289
Lisbon
$166 42.5% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Akranes
$215
Lisbon
$212 1.1% $2.3
Sport & Entertainment
Akranes
$143
Lisbon
$64 55.4% $79
Getting Around
Akranes
$100
Lisbon
$63 36.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,064 in Akranes and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $123 in Akranes vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Akranes
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
23:45 11:45 PM
23:45 11:45 PM
Same time as Akranes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,800
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Akranes Lisbon 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Akranes
  • Lisbon

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
Akranes vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Akranes or Lisbon?
Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Akranes or in Lisbon?
Average pay in Akranes is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Akranes compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $3,064 in Akranes versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Akranes compared to Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $3,713 per month in Akranes versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Akranes compared to Lisbon?
A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 38% less than in Akranes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Akranes or in Lisbon?
At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,713 in Akranes, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Akranes. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Akranes or Lisbon?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
How safe is Akranes compared to Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Akranes and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Akranes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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