Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Grundarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
Learn more

Grundarfjordur Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Grundarfjordur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Grundarfjordur $1,722

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,930 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Grundarfjordur $2,930

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $4,138 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Grundarfjordur $4,138

Cape Town is about 8% cheaper than Grundarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Grundarfjordur sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Grundarfjordur by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$31.43 ISK 3,812

-61.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 745

$123 ISK 14.9K

-63.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.7

$27.34 ISK 3,316

-78.49%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.09

$6.73 ISK 816

-62.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.90

$3.35 ISK 406

-62.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.11

$3.02 ISK 367

-67.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.23

$13.78 ISK 1,671

-78.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.2

$12.34 ISK 1,496

-69.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.36

$2.11 ISK 255

-38.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.63

$4.31 ISK 523

-71.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.69

$3.60 ISK 437

-38.06%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.1

$7.15 ISK 867

-56.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$21.52 ISK 2,610

-57.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$24.59 ISK 2,983

-71.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$41.30 ISK 5,010

-77.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.19

$3.23 ISK 392

-43.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.22

$2.88 ISK 349

-31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.39

$3.27 ISK 396

-48.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.63

$6.39 ISK 776

-66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.76

$3.96 ISK 480

-60.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.40

$1.68 ISK 204

-11.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.37

$3.67 ISK 445

-64.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.57

$1.83 ISK 222

-38.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.2

$13.67 ISK 1,658

-73.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$23.72 ISK 2,877

-74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.61

$3.53 ISK 428

-60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.12

$3.48 ISK 423

-38.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 999

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.69

$6.67 ISK 809

-91.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.60

$2.90 ISK 352

-48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.0

$81.7 ISK 9,913

-93.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.45

$2.02 ISK 245

-23.27%

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

$36.2K R 595.3K

$51.5K ISK 6.2M

-29.71%

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

$31.2K R 513.7K

$52.9K ISK 6.4M

-40.96%

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

$114 R 1,880

$97.1 ISK 11.8K

17.76%

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

$28.91 R 475

$32.85 ISK 3,985

-11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 653

$85.2 ISK 10.3K

-53.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 150

$19.40 ISK 2,353

-52.84%

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

$259 R 4,256

$1,191 ISK 144.4K

-78.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.7K

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

-73.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 924

$147 ISK 17.8K

-61.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 533

$66.1 ISK 8,022

-51.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,983

$185 ISK 22.5K

-34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,777

$253 ISK 30.7K

-57.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.3K

$1,121 ISK 135.9K

37.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

8.81

24.52%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Grundarfjordur: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Grundarfjordur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.1% 176% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Grundarfjordur

$215 12.5% 17.6% $32

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Grundarfjordur

$533 31% 203% $357

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Grundarfjordur

$293 17% 105% $150

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2% 71.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3% 42.4% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $123 in Grundarfjordur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $621 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 16.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Grundarfjordur 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Grundarfjordur

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 Grundarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grundarfjordur costs about 9% more than Cape Town, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,584 in Grundarfjordur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,722 in Grundarfjordur. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $1,191 in Grundarfjordur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Grundarfjordur at $1,722. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grundarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,722 in Grundarfjordur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Grundarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.