Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grundarfjordur and Cape Town

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.

84

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Grundarfjordur $1,722
Cape Town $1,586

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

Grundarfjordur $2,930
Cape Town $2,425

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

Grundarfjordur $4,138
Cape Town $3,263

Grundarfjordur costs about 9% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.43 ISK 3,813

$12.14 R 201

158.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$45.34 R 749

170.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.34 ISK 3,318

$5.88 R 97.2

364.97%

Cappuccino

$6.73 ISK 816

$2.50 R 41.29

169.20%

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

$3.35 ISK 406

$1.27 R 21.00

163.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ISK 367

$0.98 R 16.19

208.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.78 ISK 1,672

$2.99 R 49.47

360.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.34 ISK 1,497

$3.72 R 61.5

231.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 256

$1.30 R 21.46

62.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 ISK 523

$1.25 R 20.73

244.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ISK 437

$2.23 R 36.87

61.43%

Eggs

$7.15 ISK 868

$3.11 R 51.4

129.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.52 ISK 2,612

$9.06 R 150

137.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.59 ISK 2,984

$6.92 R 114

255.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.30 ISK 5,012

$9.30 R 154

344.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$1.84 R 30.34

75.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 ISK 349

$1.96 R 32.38

46.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 ISK 397

$1.67 R 27.52

95.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 776

$2.17 R 35.80

194.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.96 ISK 480

$1.57 R 25.89

152.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ISK 204

$1.48 R 24.52

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.67 ISK 445

$1.30 R 21.47

182.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ISK 222

$1.13 R 18.66

61.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.67 ISK 1,659

$3.60 R 59.5

279.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.72 ISK 2,878

$6.15 R 102

285.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.38 R 22.72

155.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ISK 423

$2.14 R 35.30

62.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 ISK 810

$0.59 R 9.74

1030.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.50 R 24.72

93.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.7 ISK 9,918

$5.11 R 84.4

1499.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 ISK 245

$1.55 R 25.57

30.32%

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

$51.5K ISK 6.3M

$36.2K R 598.2K

42.26%

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

$52.9K ISK 6.4M

$31.2K R 516.2K

69.39%

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

$97.1 ISK 11.8K

$114 R 1,889

-15.08%

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

$32.85 ISK 3,987

$28.91 R 478

13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.2 ISK 10.3K

$39.73 R 656

114.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 810

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

Cinema Ticket

$19.40 ISK 2,354

$9.15 R 151

112.02%

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

$1,191 ISK 144.5K

$259 R 4,276

360.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

$6,794 R 112.2K

279.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 ISK 17.8K

$56.2 R 928

161.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 ISK 8,026

$32.41 R 535

104.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$121 R 1,993

53.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$108 R 1,786

134.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,121 ISK 136.0K

$1,542 R 25.5K

-27.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

10.97

-19.69%

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

Last update for Grundarfjordur: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.1%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 63.8% $396

Eating Out

Grundarfjordur

$533 31%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 67% $357

Clothing & Footwear

Grundarfjordur

$293 17%

Cape Town

$143 9% 51.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grundarfjordur

$215 12.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 14.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 73.5% $29

Getting Around

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 253% $54

Accommodation & Living

Grundarfjordur

- * 0%

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

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

Good to know

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h ahead of Grundarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Grundarfjordur
Cape Town

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

Grundarfjordur vs Cape Town: 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 $2,584 per month in Grundarfjordur and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,191 per month in Grundarfjordur and $259 in Cape Town. 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.