Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Hafnarfjordur
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Hafnarfjordur Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,877

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hafnarfjordur 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 Hafnarfjordur and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,877 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $3,877
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $5,400 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $5,400
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $6,923 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $6,923
Cape Town $3,263

Hafnarfjordur costs about 145% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hafnarfjordur and Cape Town sit above the global median – Hafnarfjordur by 187%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.03 ISK 3,763

$12.14 R 200

155.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$45.34 R 747

173.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.27 ISK 1,973

$5.88 R 96.9

176.70%

Cappuccino

$6.88 ISK 835

$2.50 R 41.18

175.20%

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

$3.27 ISK 396

$1.27 R 20.94

157.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 372

$0.98 R 16.14

213.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.18 ISK 1,720

$2.99 R 49.33

374.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 ISK 1,482

$3.72 R 61.4

228.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ISK 207

$1.30 R 21.40

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 ISK 507

$1.25 R 20.68

234.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ISK 438

$2.23 R 36.76

61.88%

Eggs

$7.19 ISK 872

$3.11 R 51.2

131.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.88 ISK 2,654

$9.06 R 149

141.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.76 ISK 3,003

$6.92 R 114

257.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.29 ISK 5,130

$9.30 R 153

354.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ISK 413

$1.84 R 30.25

85.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.96 R 32.29

27.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 ISK 386

$1.67 R 27.45

90.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 ISK 767

$2.17 R 35.70

191.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ISK 469

$1.57 R 25.81

146.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$1.48 R 24.45

14.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 447

$1.30 R 21.41

183.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 220

$1.13 R 18.60

60.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,674

$3.60 R 59.3

283.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.94 ISK 2,904

$6.15 R 101

289.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$1.38 R 22.66

156.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ISK 416

$2.14 R 35.20

60.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 ISK 632

$1.50 R 24.65

247.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 ISK 10.4K

$60.8 R 1,001

40.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 ISK 798

$0.59 R 9.71

1015.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 339

$1.50 R 24.65

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.9 ISK 9,810

$5.11 R 84.2

1482.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.55 R 25.50

31.61%

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

$51.3K ISK 6.2M

$36.2K R 596.5K

41.73%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$31.2K R 514.8K

70.61%

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

$70.7 ISK 8,571

$114 R 1,883

-38.18%

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

$33.02 ISK 4,005

$28.91 R 476

14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.0 ISK 10.6K

$39.73 R 654

119.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ISK 7,870

$49.01 R 808

32.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 ISK 2,068

$9.15 R 151

86.34%

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

$1,196 ISK 145.1K

$259 R 4,264

362.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

$6,794 R 111.9K

279.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ISK 15.0K

$56.2 R 926

120.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.8 ISK 7,980

$32.41 R 534

102.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ISK 15.2K

$121 R 1,987

3.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$108 R 1,781

133.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 ISK 302.9K

$1,021 R 16.8K

144.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 ISK 253.1K

$717 R 11.8K

191.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 ISK 391.3K

$1,824 R 30.1K

76.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 ISK 316.2K

$1,327 R 21.9K

96.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ISK 859.4K

$2,391 R 39.4K

196.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,990 ISK 847.8K

$1,542 R 25.4K

353.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,751 ISK 576.2K

$1,639 R 27.0K

189.92%

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 Hafnarfjordur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 65.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hafnarfjordur

$619 16%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 63.6% $394

Eating Out

Hafnarfjordur

$500 12.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 64.8% $324

Clothing & Footwear

Hafnarfjordur

$255 6.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 44% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hafnarfjordur

$191 4.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 4.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 41% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 32% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Hafnarfjordur versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 190% higher in Hafnarfjordur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Hafnarfjordur versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

2 h ahead of Hafnarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,525

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 = 7.33 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hafnarfjordur Cape Town 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Hafnarfjordur
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

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

Hafnarfjordur costs about 145% 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 $5,816 per month in Hafnarfjordur and $2,379 in Cape Town. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 145%.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Hafnarfjordur at $3,877. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur. 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, Hafnarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.