Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,992 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,992

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,992 per month in Keflavik vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Keflavik $2,992
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $4,538 per month in Keflavik vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Keflavik $4,538
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $6,084 per month in Keflavik vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Keflavik $6,084
Cape Town $3,263

Keflavik costs about 89% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Keflavik and Cape Town sit above the global median – Keflavik by 122%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 ISK 2,997

$12.14 R 200

103.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$45.34 R 747

172.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.40 ISK 2,475

$5.88 R 96.9

246.94%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ISK 493

$2.50 R 41.18

62.40%

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

$3.18 ISK 386

$1.27 R 20.94

150.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ISK 387

$0.98 R 16.14

225.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 ISK 970

$2.99 R 49.33

167.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 ISK 1,012

$3.72 R 61.4

124.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.30 R 21.40

61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 ISK 513

$1.25 R 20.68

238.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ISK 307

$2.23 R 36.76

13.45%

Eggs

$6.32 ISK 767

$3.11 R 51.2

103.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ISK 2,311

$9.06 R 149

110.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.38 ISK 2,958

$6.92 R 114

252.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.25 ISK 5,003

$9.30 R 153

343.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 ISK 301

$1.84 R 30.25

34.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 ISK 304

$1.96 R 32.29

28.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 296

$1.67 R 27.45

46.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 486

$2.17 R 35.70

84.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.57 R 25.81

103.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ISK 206

$1.48 R 24.45

14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.84 ISK 465

$1.30 R 21.41

195.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ISK 215

$1.13 R 18.60

57.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,695

$3.60 R 59.3

288.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 ISK 2,012

$6.15 R 101

169.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 ISK 438

$1.38 R 22.66

161.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ISK 356

$2.14 R 35.20

37.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.50 R 24.65

145.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.6 ISK 9,407

$60.8 R 1,001

27.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 804

$0.59 R 9.71

1023.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 ISK 312

$1.50 R 24.65

72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.2 ISK 9,727

$5.11 R 84.2

1469.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.55 R 25.50

35.48%

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

$50.1K ISK 6.1M

$36.2K R 596.5K

38.49%

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

$54.7K ISK 6.6M

$31.2K R 514.8K

75.00%

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

$94.8 ISK 11.5K

$114 R 1,883

-17.07%

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

$33.29 ISK 4,038

$28.91 R 476

15.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$39.73 R 654

113.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.5 ISK 9,526

$49.01 R 808

60.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$19.48 ISK 2,363

$9.15 R 151

112.90%

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

$407 ISK 49.3K

$259 R 4,264

57.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

$6,794 R 111.9K

278.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$152 ISK 18.4K

$56.2 R 926

170.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ISK 7,934

$32.41 R 534

101.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 ISK 22.0K

$121 R 1,987

50.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 ISK 23.1K

$108 R 1,781

76.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 ISK 230.0K

$1,021 R 16.8K

85.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ISK 161.2K

$717 R 11.8K

85.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 ISK 305.1K

$1,824 R 30.1K

37.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 ISK 250.0K

$1,327 R 21.9K

55.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,752 ISK 455.0K

$1,639 R 27.0K

128.94%

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 Keflavik: 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

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 46.1% $612

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$566 18.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 60.2% $341

Eating Out

Keflavik

$390 13%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 54.8% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$265 8.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 46.2% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$213 7.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 14.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$118 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 42.7% $50

Getting Around

Keflavik

$112 3.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 33.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,896 in Keflavik 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 129% higher in Keflavik, 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 Keflavik versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $566 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

2 h ahead of Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

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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Between locations

Keflavik Cape Town 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
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

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

Keflavik costs about 89% 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 $4,488 per month in Keflavik 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 $2,992 in Keflavik and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 89%.

Public transport costs about 28% 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 Keflavik at $2,992. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Keflavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,992 in Keflavik. 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, Keflavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.