Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilulissat and Nuuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilulissat: $2,605 a month against $2,835 in Nuuk, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nuuk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Ilulissat
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Ilulissat Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Nuuk
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Nuuk Living Index

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Ilulissat

🇬🇱 Greenland

$2,605

/mo nomad

Nuuk

🇬🇱 Greenland

$2,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ilulissat and in Nuuk

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

A single person spends $2,605 per month in Ilulissat vs $2,835 in Nuuk, rent included.

Ilulissat $2,605
Nuuk $2,835

A couple spends around $3,921 per month in Ilulissat vs $4,293 in Nuuk, rent included.

Ilulissat $3,921
Nuuk $4,293

A family of three spends $5,237 per month in Ilulissat vs $5,750 in Nuuk, rent included.

Ilulissat $5,237
Nuuk $5,750

Ilulissat is about 8% cheaper than Nuuk.

Both Ilulissat and Nuuk sit above the global median – Ilulissat by 91%, Nuuk by 108%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.90 DKK 200

$18.11 DKK 121

65.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 DKK 730

$103 DKK 690

5.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.31 DKK 123

$12.94 DKK 86.7

41.50%

Cappuccino

$5.90 DKK 39.52

$5.89 DKK 39.48

0.17%

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

$3.15 DKK 21.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 DKK 19.87

$3.46 DKK 23.17

-14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.49 DKK 83.7

$10.16 DKK 68.1

22.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 DKK 46.18

$7.46 DKK 49.98

-7.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 DKK 20.34

$2.91 DKK 19.51

4.47%

White Bread (500g)

$5.15 DKK 34.48

$4.11 DKK 27.50

25.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 DKK 29.46

$3.99 DKK 26.72

10.28%

Eggs

$5.06 DKK 33.93

Local Cheese (1kg)

$33.09 DKK 222

$36.12 DKK 242

-8.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$38.37 DKK 257

$23.97 DKK 161

60.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.59 DKK 171

$14.67 DKK 98.3

74.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 DKK 39.24

$2.92 DKK 19.56

100.68%

Banana (1kg)

$5.13 DKK 34.38

$2.96 DKK 19.81

73.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.86 DKK 39.27

$4.74 DKK 31.73

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 DKK 29.85

$5.73 DKK 38.42

-22.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 DKK 25.56

$3.69 DKK 24.69

3.25%

Onion (1kg)

$5.32 DKK 35.65

$3.61 DKK 24.18

47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.55 DKK 43.89

$4.57 DKK 30.59

43.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 DKK 20.44

$2.93 DKK 19.63

4.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.63 DKK 64.5

Wine (Bottle)

$22.20 DKK 149

$23.46 DKK 157

-5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.68 DKK 31.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 DKK 26.41

$4.21 DKK 28.23

-6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 DKK 24.95

$2.96 DKK 19.85

25.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 DKK 594

$83.2 DKK 557

6.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 DKK 20.21

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.90 DKK 39.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.58 DKK 50.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 DKK 5.15

$1.06 DKK 7.08

-27.36%

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

$39.3K DKK 263.4K

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

$13.6K DKK 91.0K

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

$257 DKK 1,724

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

$65.7 DKK 440

$89.0 DKK 596

-26.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$180 DKK 1,205

$132 DKK 887

35.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 DKK 407

Cinema Ticket

$18.15 DKK 122

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

$590 DKK 3,956

$549 DKK 3,680

7.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K DKK 69.5K

$6,094 DKK 40.8K

70.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 DKK 352

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 DKK 1,080

$180 DKK 1,208

-10.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$225 DKK 1,506

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 DKK 3,146

$1,566 DKK 10.5K

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 DKK 4,054

$1,385 DKK 9,281

-56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 DKK 5,849

$2,232 DKK 15.0K

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 DKK 5,643

$2,297 DKK 15.4K

-63.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,799 DKK 25.4K

$4,787 DKK 32.1K

-20.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,000 DKK 26.8K

$4,721 DKK 31.6K

-15.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,988 DKK 13.3K

$4,988 DKK 33.4K

-60.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

4.71

5.10%

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

Last update for Ilulissat: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nuuk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ilulissat

$710 * 27.3%

Nuuk

$609 21.5% 14.3% $101

Accommodation & Living

Ilulissat

$605 23.2%

Nuuk

$1.4K 48.9% 129% $780

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilulissat

$503 19.3%

Nuuk

$221 * 7.8% 56% $282

Eating Out

Ilulissat

$453 * 17.4%

Nuuk

$347 12.2% 23.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Ilulissat

$197 * 7.6%

Nuuk

$81 * 2.9% 58.9% $116

Getting Around

Ilulissat

$136 5.2%

Nuuk

$95 * 3.4% 30.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ilulissat

- * 0%

Nuuk

$97 3.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $470 in Ilulissat versus $1,566 in Nuuk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nuuk are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Ilulissat versus $103 in Nuuk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $710 vs $609 – making Nuuk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇱 Ilulissat

🇬🇱 Nuuk

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

Same time as Ilulissat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

18,326 Capital

💱 Currency

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ilulissat Nuuk 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilulissat
Nuuk

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

Ilulissat vs Nuuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuuk costs about 9% more than Ilulissat, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Ilulissat and $4,253 in Nuuk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilulissat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $470 there versus $1,566 in Nuuk.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Nuuk. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $590 per month in Ilulissat and $549 in Nuuk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Nuuk has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,605 in Ilulissat to $2,835 in Nuuk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ilulissat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nuuk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.