Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kopavogur and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Kopavogur: $1,830 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mendrisio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Kopavogur
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Kopavogur Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
Learn more

Mendrisio Living Index

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Kopavogur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,830

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kopavogur and in Mendrisio

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

A single person spends $1,830 per month in Kopavogur vs $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Kopavogur $1,830
Mendrisio $3,034

A couple spends around $3,032 per month in Kopavogur vs $3,758 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Kopavogur $3,032
Mendrisio $3,758

A family of three spends $4,233 per month in Kopavogur vs $4,483 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Kopavogur $4,233
Mendrisio $4,483

Kopavogur is about 40% cheaper than Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kopavogur and Mendrisio sit above the global median – Kopavogur by 36%, Mendrisio by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.31 ISK 3,798

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 ISK 10.4K

$177 CHF 146

-51.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$23.94 ISK 2,904

$18.99 CHF 15.64

26.07%

Cappuccino

$6.92 ISK 839

$4.80 CHF 3.96

44.17%

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

$2.91 ISK 353

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-46.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ISK 385

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-27.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.58 ISK 1,283

$8.36 CHF 6.88

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.53 ISK 1,520

$7.03 CHF 5.79

78.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ISK 214

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$3.70 CHF 3.04

11.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 452

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-10.36%

Eggs

$6.99 ISK 848

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.20 ISK 2,692

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-12.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.85 ISK 2,893

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-15.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.79 ISK 5,069

$39.04 CHF 32.15

7.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 ISK 405

$3.15 CHF 2.60

6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 345

$1.70 CHF 1.40

67.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ISK 387

$2.56 CHF 2.11

24.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.30 ISK 764

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-2.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ISK 477

$1.84 CHF 1.52

113.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ISK 206

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-20.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.75 ISK 455

$2.34 CHF 1.93

60.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 220

$1.16 CHF 0.96

56.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 ISK 1,675

$10.74 CHF 8.84

28.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.22 ISK 2,937

$14.64 CHF 12.06

65.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 ISK 453

$3.36 CHF 2.77

11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ISK 414

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-16.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.48 ISK 544

$3.03 CHF 2.50

47.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.2 ISK 8,998

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 ISK 729

$7.07 CHF 5.82

-14.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 ISK 342

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-47.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.9 ISK 9,931

$78.3 CHF 64.5

4.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 ISK 257

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-3.64%

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

$50.5K ISK 6.1M

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

45.77%

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

$54.4K ISK 6.6M

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

41.02%

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

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

$304 CHF 250

-68.83%

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

$32.34 ISK 3,923

$25.15 CHF 20.71

28.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

$48.38 CHF 39.85

81.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ISK 8,665

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.1 ISK 6,435

Cinema Ticket

$16.85 ISK 2,043

$21.74 CHF 17.91

-22.49%

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

$480 ISK 58.2K

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-84.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K ISK 3.1M

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-33.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 ISK 17.5K

$107 CHF 87.8

35.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 ISK 6,530

$47.52 CHF 39.14

13.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 ISK 19.6K

$164 CHF 135

-1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 ISK 30.2K

$166 CHF 137

49.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,667 ISK 808.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,422 ISK 778.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,330 ISK 646.4K

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-23.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.37

271.73%

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

Last update for Kopavogur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kopavogur

$617 33.7%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 3.7% $23

Eating Out

Kopavogur

$508 27.7%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 4.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kopavogur

$274 15%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 20.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kopavogur

$215 11.7%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 75.7% $163

Getting Around

Kopavogur

$112 6.1%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 58.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Kopavogur

$105 5.7%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 10.9% $11

Accommodation & Living

Kopavogur

- * 0%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 30% higher in Mendrisio, 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 $86.0 in Kopavogur versus $177 in Mendrisio. Groceries tell a different story – $617 in Kopavogur vs $594 in Mendrisio – so Mendrisio wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Kopavogur

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

2 h ahead of Kopavogur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,335

15,562

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Kopavogur Mendrisio 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kopavogur
Mendrisio

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

Kopavogur vs Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,830 in Kopavogur, $3,034 in Mendrisio – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,745 per month in Kopavogur and $4,551 in Mendrisio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Kopavogur and $177 in Mendrisio. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Mendrisio – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kopavogur, where all-in costs run around $1,830, than in Mendrisio at $3,034. In Kopavogur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendrisio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kopavogur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kopavogur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mendrisio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.