Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Keflavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $2,992 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Keflavik despite lower rent and utilities.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Keflavik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,992 in Keflavik.

Austin, TX $2,663
Keflavik $2,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,538 in Keflavik.

Austin, TX $4,133
Keflavik $4,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $6,084 in Keflavik.

Austin, TX $5,603
Keflavik $6,084

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 11% less than in Keflavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Keflavik 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$24.71 ISK 2,997

-15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$124 ISK 15.0K

-31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$20.40 ISK 2,475

-39.61%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.06 ISK 493

38.67%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.18 ISK 386

16.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.19 ISK 387

-21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.00 ISK 970

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$8.34 ISK 1,012

8.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.10 ISK 255

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$4.23 ISK 513

-11.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.53 ISK 307

28.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$6.32 ISK 767

-34.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.06 ISK 2,311

-32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$24.38 ISK 2,958

-41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$41.25 ISK 5,003

-60.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.48 ISK 301

74.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.51 ISK 304

-41.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.44 ISK 296

84.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.01 ISK 486

8.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.20 ISK 388

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.70 ISK 206

38.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.84 ISK 465

-53.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 ISK 215

24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.97 ISK 1,695

-29.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.58 ISK 2,012

-9.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.61 ISK 438

-19.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.94 ISK 356

17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.68 ISK 446

-59.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$77.6 ISK 9,407

-46.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$6.63 ISK 804

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.58 ISK 312

-35.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$80.2 ISK 9,727

-55.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.10 ISK 255

-54.76%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$50.1K ISK 6.1M

-28.11%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$54.7K ISK 6.6M

-50.49%

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

$229 $229

$94.8 ISK 11.5K

141.55%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$33.29 ISK 4,038

78.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-17.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$78.5 ISK 9,526

-27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$19.48 ISK 2,363

-26.69%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$407 ISK 49.3K

270.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-16.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$152 ISK 18.4K

-65.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$65.4 ISK 7,934

-33.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$182 ISK 22.0K

-53.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$191 ISK 23.1K

-45.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,896 ISK 230.0K

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,329 ISK 161.2K

-4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,516 ISK 305.1K

45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,061 ISK 250.0K

23.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,752 ISK 455.0K

36.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.81

-22.93%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Keflavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.4% 4.3% $55

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Keflavik

$566 18.9% 39.8% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Keflavik

$213 7.1% 40.5% $145

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Keflavik

$390 13% 10.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Keflavik

$265 8.9% 107% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Keflavik

$118 3.9% 37% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Keflavik

$112 3.7% 90.4% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,896 in Keflavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $124 in Keflavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $566 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

15,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

ISK to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Keflavik 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Keflavik

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

Austin, TX vs Keflavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Keflavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,896 in Keflavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,992 in Keflavik – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 86% less than in Keflavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Keflavik are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.