Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Iceland

Name: Iceland
Address: IS

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,897 in Iceland, rent and utilities included – about $37,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
187

Cost of Living Index in Iceland
Learn more

Iceland Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Iceland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $3,897 in Iceland.

China $791
Iceland $3,897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $5,533 in Iceland.

China $1,251
Iceland $5,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $7,168 in Iceland.

China $1,711
Iceland $7,168

Internal cost variation is higher in Iceland: monthly costs span $179 to $4,040, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Iceland.

Living in China costs about 80% less than in Iceland on average.

China (42% below) and Iceland (186% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.84

$28.48 ISK 3,469

-89.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$123 ISK 15.0K

-82.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.66

$23.70 ISK 2,887

-78.06%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.77

$6.09 ISK 742

-51.23%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$3.11 ISK 379

-84.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$2.95 ISK 359

-89.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$12.19 ISK 1,485

-91.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.18

$12.42 ISK 1,513

-81.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.98

$2.03 ISK 247

-11.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$3.99 ISK 486

-57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$3.45 ISK 420

-73.33%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.75

$7.17 ISK 873

-77.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.2

$20.65 ISK 2,516

-35.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.31

$24.78 ISK 3,019

-86.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.7

$42.17 ISK 5,138

-73.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$3.01 ISK 367

-39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$2.67 ISK 326

-50.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$3.15 ISK 383

-52.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$5.93 ISK 722

-78.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.74

$3.86 ISK 470

-81.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.85 ISK 226

-49.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$3.59 ISK 437

-82.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$1.89 ISK 230

-70.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.19

$14.17 ISK 1,727

-73.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.9

$22.52 ISK 2,744

-46.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$3.65 ISK 444

-77.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.33 ISK 406

-49.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$5.51 ISK 672

-94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

-81.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$6.77 ISK 825

-77.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$2.87 ISK 350

-87.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.31

$79.3 ISK 9,666

-91.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$2.35 ISK 286

-46.38%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$69.7K ISK 8.5M

-72.10%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$56.0K ISK 6.8M

-68.70%

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

$54.6 ¥364

$103 ISK 12.6K

-47.06%

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

$8.73 ¥58.2

$32.44 ISK 3,953

-73.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.8

$87.9 ISK 10.7K

-87.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥272

$92.3 ISK 11.2K

-55.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.5

$52.4 ISK 6,382

-72.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.19

$19.09 ISK 2,326

-64.48%

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

$517 ¥3,443

$947 ISK 115.4K

-45.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$26.4K ISK 3.2M

-24.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$149 ISK 18.2K

-68.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥238

$47.82 ISK 5,827

-25.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$172 ISK 20.9K

-55.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥535

$234 ISK 28.5K

-65.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,572

$2,575 ISK 313.8K

-85.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,563

$2,041 ISK 248.7K

-88.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,478

$3,504 ISK 426.9K

-76.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,020

$2,712 ISK 330.4K

-83.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$7,617 ISK 928.1K

-38.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$6,338 ISK 772.2K

-62.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,286

$4,789 ISK 583.5K

-77.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

9.29

-62.76%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Iceland: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Iceland

$2K 52.4% 770% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Iceland

$611 15.7% 191% $400

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Iceland

$271 7% 152% $164

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Iceland

$482 12.4% 447% $394

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Iceland

$223 5.7% 200% $149

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Iceland

$130 3.4% 140% $76

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Iceland

$138 3.5% 517% $116

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $2,368 in Iceland. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,585 in Reykjavik.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $4,949 in Iceland. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 695% higher in Iceland.

Dining out costs 441% more in Iceland.

Public transport is 350% more expensive in Iceland.

Salaries are about 5.7 times higher in Iceland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Iceland.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇮🇸 Iceland

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

8 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

364,260

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Iceland 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Iceland

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

China vs Iceland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $3,897 in Iceland, there’s a 392% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $2,368 in Iceland and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Iceland it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Iceland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.