Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Akureyri

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $3,060 in Akureyri, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Akureyri

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Akureyri

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $3,060 in Akureyri, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Akureyri $3,060

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $4,123 in Akureyri, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Akureyri $4,123

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $5,186 in Akureyri, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Akureyri $5,186

Cape Town is about 49% cheaper than Akureyri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Akureyri sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Akureyri by 128%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$24.64 ISK 3,004

-52.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$133 ISK 16.2K

-65.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$22.95 ISK 2,799

-74.03%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$4.93 ISK 602

-49.90%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$3.44 ISK 420

-61.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$3.12 ISK 381

-66.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$11.08 ISK 1,352

-72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$9.43 ISK 1,150

-61.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.77 ISK 338

-49.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$2.30 ISK 280

-48.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$3.18 ISK 388

-33.65%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$7.93 ISK 967

-62.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$15.52 ISK 1,892

-42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$24.79 ISK 3,024

-73.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.91 ISK 355

-34.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.49 ISK 426

-49.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$5.89 ISK 719

-64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$13.61 ISK 1,660

-72.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$2.52 ISK 307

-37.30%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$41.1K ISK 5.0M

-13.68%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$66.4K ISK 8.1M

-52.21%

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

$116 R 1,920

$124 ISK 15.1K

-5.98%

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

$28.37 R 468

$26.03 ISK 3,174

8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$162 ISK 19.7K

-74.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$86.8 ISK 10.6K

-43.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$15.18 ISK 1,852

-41.83%

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

$261 R 4,314

$364 ISK 44.3K

-28.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$82.6 ISK 10.1K

-32.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$123 ISK 15.0K

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,800 ISK 219.5K

-43.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$1,787 ISK 217.9K

-59.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$2,153 ISK 262.6K

-38.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$6,605 ISK 805.5K

-64.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$6,467 ISK 788.7K

-76.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

9.4

16.70%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Akureyri: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Akureyri

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Akureyri

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Akureyri

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Akureyri

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Akureyri

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Akureyri

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Akureyri

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $1,800 in Akureyri. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $133 in Akureyri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $327 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇸 Akureyri

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

19,219

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 7.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Akureyri 11,510 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Akureyri

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

Cape Town vs Akureyri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Akureyri is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $4,590 in Akureyri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $133 in Akureyri. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Akureyri, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Akureyri at $3,060. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Akureyri it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Akureyri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.