Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Neuchatel

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuchatel: $3,172 a month against $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Neuchatel
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Neuchatel Living Index

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Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,877

/mo nomad

Neuchatel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hafnarfjordur and in Neuchatel

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

A single person spends $3,877 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $3,172 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $3,877
Neuchatel $3,172

A couple spends around $5,400 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $4,877 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $5,400
Neuchatel $4,877

A family of three spends $6,923 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $6,583 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $6,923
Neuchatel $6,583

Hafnarfjordur costs about 22% more than Neuchatel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hafnarfjordur and Neuchatel sit above the global median – Hafnarfjordur by 187%, Neuchatel by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.03 ISK 3,763

$26.68 CHF 21.98

16.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$116 CHF 95.6

6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.27 ISK 1,973

$17.96 CHF 14.79

-9.41%

Cappuccino

$6.88 ISK 835

$5.90 CHF 4.86

16.61%

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

$3.27 ISK 396

$3.98 CHF 3.28

-17.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 372

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-8.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.18 ISK 1,720

$9.38 CHF 7.73

51.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 ISK 1,482

$7.20 CHF 5.93

69.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ISK 207

$2.06 CHF 1.70

-17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 ISK 507

$3.09 CHF 2.54

35.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ISK 438

$3.19 CHF 2.63

13.17%

Eggs

$7.19 ISK 872

$6.84 CHF 5.63

5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.88 ISK 2,654

$25.39 CHF 20.91

-13.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.76 ISK 3,003

$27.24 CHF 22.43

-9.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.29 ISK 5,130

$39.83 CHF 32.80

6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ISK 413

$3.17 CHF 2.61

7.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$2.15 CHF 1.77

16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 ISK 386

$2.91 CHF 2.39

9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 ISK 767

$4.59 CHF 3.78

37.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ISK 469

$1.66 CHF 1.37

133.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-13.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 447

$2.22 CHF 1.83

66.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 220

$1.21 CHF 1.00

49.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,674

$10.92 CHF 8.99

26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.94 ISK 2,904

$12.01 CHF 9.90

99.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$2.54 CHF 2.10

39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ISK 416

$2.52 CHF 2.08

36.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 ISK 632

$2.94 CHF 2.42

77.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 ISK 10.4K

$91.8 CHF 75.6

-6.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 ISK 798

$7.91 CHF 6.51

-16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 339

$4.26 CHF 3.51

-34.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.9 ISK 9,810

$76.4 CHF 62.9

5.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-12.45%

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

$51.3K ISK 6.2M

$38.9K CHF 32.0K

31.92%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

38.77%

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

$70.7 ISK 8,571

$240 CHF 198

-70.57%

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

$33.02 ISK 4,005

$45.61 CHF 37.56

-27.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.0 ISK 10.6K

$41.94 CHF 34.54

107.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ISK 7,870

$97.8 CHF 80.5

-33.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.55 CHF 34.22

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 ISK 2,068

$21.62 CHF 17.80

-21.14%

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

$1,196 ISK 145.1K

$2,467 CHF 2,032

-51.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

$26.2K CHF 21.6K

-1.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ISK 15.0K

$125 CHF 103

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.8 ISK 7,980

$50.2 CHF 41.35

31.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ISK 15.2K

$147 CHF 121

-14.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$144 CHF 119

75.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 ISK 302.9K

$1,662 CHF 1,368

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 ISK 253.1K

$1,372 CHF 1,130

52.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 ISK 391.3K

$2,627 CHF 2,164

22.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 ISK 316.2K

$2,373 CHF 1,954

9.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ISK 859.4K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

-65.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,990 ISK 847.8K

$13.5K CHF 11.1K

-48.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,751 ISK 576.2K

$6,930 CHF 5,707

-31.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

1.87

371.12%

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

Last update for Hafnarfjordur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Neuchatel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8%

Neuchatel

$1.4K 43.2% 34.3% $715

Groceries & Markets

Hafnarfjordur

$619 16%

Neuchatel

$561 17.7% 9.3% $58

Eating Out

Hafnarfjordur

$500 12.9%

Neuchatel

$429 13.5% 14.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Hafnarfjordur

$255 6.6%

Neuchatel

$210 6.6% 17.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hafnarfjordur

$191 4.9%

Neuchatel

$328 10.3% 71.8% $137

Getting Around

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3%

Neuchatel

$133 4.2% 4.7% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6%

Neuchatel

$141 4.4% 42.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Hafnarfjordur versus $1,662 in Neuchatel. 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 46% higher in Neuchatel, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Hafnarfjordur versus $116 in Neuchatel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $561 – making Neuchatel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🇨🇭 Neuchatel

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

2 h ahead of Hafnarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,525

33,641

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hafnarfjordur Neuchatel 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hafnarfjordur
Neuchatel

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 Neuchatel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafnarfjordur costs about 22% more than Neuchatel, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $4,758 in Neuchatel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Neuchatel, 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 $3,172 in Neuchatel. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Neuchatel. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur and $3,172 in Neuchatel. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Neuchatel costs $3,172 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 Neuchatel. 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.