Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iceland and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $3,897 in Iceland, rent and utilities included – about $42,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Iceland
Learn more

Iceland Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,897

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iceland and in India

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

A single person spends $3,897 per month in Iceland vs $399 in India, rent included.

Iceland $3,897
India $399

A couple spends around $5,533 per month in Iceland vs $639 in India, rent included.

Iceland $5,533
India $639

A family of three spends $7,168 per month in Iceland vs $879 in India, rent included.

Iceland $7,168
India $879

The regional cost range is wider in Iceland ($179–$4,040) than in India ($230–$813), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Iceland is about 876% higher than in India on average.

Iceland sits 186% above the global median, while India is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.48 ISK 3,457

$2.14 ₹203

1230.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$10.46 ₹993

1076.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$23.70 ISK 2,877

$3.80 ₹360

523.68%

Cappuccino

$6.09 ISK 740

$1.68 ₹159

262.50%

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

$3.11 ISK 378

$0.38 ₹35.91

718.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ISK 358

$0.15 ₹14.57

1866.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.19 ISK 1,479

$1.87 ₹177

551.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.42 ISK 1,508

$3.18 ₹302

290.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ISK 246

$0.62 ₹59.1

227.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 ISK 484

$0.50 ₹47.66

698.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 ISK 419

$0.63 ₹60.2

447.62%

Eggs

$7.17 ISK 870

$0.96 ₹91.1

646.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.65 ISK 2,507

$4.85 ₹460

325.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.78 ISK 3,008

$2.84 ₹270

772.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.17 ISK 5,119

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ISK 366

$2.00 ₹190

50.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 ISK 325

$0.65 ₹61.3

310.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 ISK 382

$0.97 ₹92.1

224.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 ISK 719

$0.47 ₹44.21

1161.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ISK 469

$0.34 ₹31.81

1035.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ISK 225

$0.42 ₹39.64

340.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 ISK 436

$0.47 ₹44.30

663.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ISK 229

$0.31 ₹29.61

509.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 ISK 1,721

$5.08 ₹482

178.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.52 ISK 2,734

$7.31 ₹693

208.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 ISK 443

$1.63 ₹154

123.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ISK 405

$2.76 ₹262

20.65%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.51 ISK 669

$0.26 ₹24.80

2019.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

$8.58 ₹814

1003.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 ISK 822

$1.00 ₹94.5

577.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ISK 349

$0.27 ₹25.68

962.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.3 ISK 9,631

$1.54 ₹146

5051.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 ISK 285

$1.07 ₹102

119.63%

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

$69.7K ISK 8.5M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

521.49%

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

$56.0K ISK 6.8M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

179.42%

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

$103 ISK 12.5K

$37.08 ₹3,519

177.94%

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

$32.44 ISK 3,939

$3.58 ₹340

806.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 ISK 10.7K

$7.15 ₹678

1128.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.3 ISK 11.2K

$15.00 ₹1,424

515.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$52.4 ISK 6,359

$7.17 ₹680

630.54%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 ISK 2,317

$3.20 ₹303

496.56%

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

$947 ISK 115.0K

$58.8 ₹5,580

1510.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K ISK 3.2M

$1,667 ₹158.2K

1483.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$23.03 ₹2,186

547.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.82 ISK 5,806

$24.17 ₹2,294

97.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$172 ISK 20.9K

$41.20 ₹3,910

317.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$234 ISK 28.4K

$29.62 ₹2,811

690.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 ISK 312.7K

$146 ₹13.9K

1658.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 ISK 247.8K

$96.4 ₹9,145

2018.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,504 ISK 425.4K

$343 ₹32.5K

921.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 ISK 329.2K

$234 ₹22.2K

1059.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 ISK 924.7K

$1,177 ₹111.7K

547.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,338 ISK 769.4K

$633 ₹60.1K

900.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,789 ISK 581.4K

$409 ₹38.8K

1071.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.29

8.93

4.03%

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

Last update for Iceland: October 25, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iceland

$2K 52.4%

India

$96 24.1% 95.3% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Iceland

$611 15.7%

India

$102 25.6% 83.3% $508

Eating Out

Iceland

$482 12.4%

India

$67 16.7% 86.2% $416

Clothing & Footwear

Iceland

$271 7%

India

$53 13.3% 80.4% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iceland

$223 5.7%

India

$48 12% 78.6% $176

Getting Around

Iceland

$138 3.5%

India

$12 3% 91.3% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Iceland

$130 3.4%

India

$21 5.4% 83.6% $109

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $2,368 in Iceland vs $120 in India. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,585 in Reykjavik and $277 in Delhi.

Average salary: $4,949 in Iceland vs $412 in India. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1873% higher in Iceland.

Dining out costs 982% more in Iceland.

Public transport is 913% more expensive in Iceland.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in Iceland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Iceland.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Iceland

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

03:10 3:10 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Iceland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,260

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iceland India 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iceland
India

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

Iceland vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

India is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 90% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Iceland: a central one-bedroom averages $2,368 versus $120 in India.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in India – part of why living there is about 90% cheaper overall.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in India, but in Iceland it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

India is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.