Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,794 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
Learn more

Aarau Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Aarau

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Aarau $6,342

Reykjavik costs about 43% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reykjavik and Aarau sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 196%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$29.07 CHF 23.94

8.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$106 CHF 87.6

15.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$17.63 CHF 14.52

52.35%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$5.80 CHF 4.78

17.41%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-35.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$6.15 CHF 5.06

129.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$6.60 CHF 5.44

86.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$2.05 CHF 1.69

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$3.62 CHF 2.98

15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$2.59 CHF 2.13

43.63%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$7.22 CHF 5.95

-2.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$30.30 CHF 24.96

-28.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$40.30 CHF 33.19

4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.89 CHF 2.38

11.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.78 CHF 1.46

53.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$2.44 CHF 2.01

29.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$5.50 CHF 4.53

20.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.66 CHF 1.37

131.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-15.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$2.28 CHF 1.87

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.19 CHF 0.98

47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$10.86 CHF 8.94

26.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$10.21 CHF 8.41

137.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$2.49 CHF 2.05

41.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.86 CHF 2.36

16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$5.11 CHF 4.20

12.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$146 CHF 120

-35.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$6.84 CHF 5.64

-3.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-12.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$58.8 CHF 48.45

34.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-5.86%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

18.84%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

35.62%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$120 CHF 98.9

-20.68%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$30.84 CHF 25.40

4.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$55.7 CHF 45.84

57.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$97.9 CHF 80.6

4.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-15.90%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-7.19%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-62.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-21.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$88.7 CHF 73.0

68.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$70.6 CHF 58.2

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$109 CHF 90.1

64.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$169 CHF 140

49.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$1,277 CHF 1,052

99.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$1,033 CHF 851

99.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$2,290 CHF 1,886

52.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$2,114 CHF 1,742

30.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-47.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$6,801 CHF 5,601

-32.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.31

281.39%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Aarau

$1K 37% 49.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Aarau

$588 21% 5.6% $35

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 18.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 32.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Aarau

$141 5% 0.6% $0.9

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 37.8% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $1,277 in Aarau. 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 49% higher in Aarau, 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $106 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $588 – making Aarau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

21:42 9:42 PM

2 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

21,191

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Aarau 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Aarau

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

Reykjavik vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 43% more than Aarau, 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 $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $4,191 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Aarau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Reykjavik and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,002 in Reykjavik and $2,794 in Aarau. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aarau costs $2,794 versus $4,002 in Reykjavik. 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 Aarau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.