Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Athens

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 Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Reykjavik versus $1,806 in Athens.

Reykjavik $4,037
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,666 in Reykjavik versus $2,731 in Athens.

Reykjavik $5,666
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,295 in Reykjavik versus $3,656 in Athens.

Reykjavik $7,295
Athens $3,656

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 124% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Reykjavik 201% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,727

$16.66 €14.85

83.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$66.2 €59.0

104.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,300

$11.06 €9.86

144.85%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 818

$4.14 €3.69

62.32%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.80 €2.50

16.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$0.57 €0.51

454.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,695

$5.64 €5.03

146.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,469

$5.46 €4.86

120.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.96 €1.74

4.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 526

$1.41 €1.25

206.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.83 €2.53

29.68%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 855

$5.04 €4.49

39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,682

$15.35 €13.68

43.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,009

$10.34 €9.22

138.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,198

$18.97 €16.92

124.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 411

$2.17 €1.93

55.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.91 €1.70

49.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.38 €1.23

129.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$2.20 €1.96

190.45%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.10 €0.98

264.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.13 €1.00

45.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 462

$1.10 €0.98

245.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.83 €0.74

109.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,681

$5.60 €4.99

146.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,849

$10.19 €9.08

129.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$2.18 €1.95

61.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.45 €2.18

40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 703

$1.38 €1.23

318.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$30.87 €27.52

208.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$4.37 €3.90

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 340

$1.04 €0.93

168.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,915

$17.11 €15.26

375.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$2.31 €2.06

-8.66%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$28.0K €24.9K

81.60%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$28.0K €25.0K

88.25%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$210 €187

-57.73%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,842

$26.70 €23.80

18.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$30.13 €26.86

180.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$54.6 €48.68

83.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,873

$26.03 €23.21

85.17%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,422

$10.78 €9.61

84.32%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

$575 €513

122.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$13.1K €11.7K

135.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$93.2 €83.1

72.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,908

$40.68 €36.27

59.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$104 €92.8

75.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 30.9K

$128 €114

97.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

$756 €674

230.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

$652 €582

206.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

$1,294 €1,153

166.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

$1,163 €1,037

135.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

$4,008 €3,574

99.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

$3,452 €3,078

81.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

$1,243 €1,109

277.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

4.48

96.65%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Athens

$652 36.5% 67.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Athens

$315 17.6% 49.7% $310

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Athens

$269 15% 48.9% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Athens

$165 9.2% 44.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Athens

$267 14.9% 30.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Athens

$76 4.3% 45.7% $64

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Athens

$46 2.6% 66.9% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,499 in Reykjavik and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 277% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $136 in Reykjavik vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

3 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Athens 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Reykjavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 277% higher in Reykjavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $136 in Reykjavik. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,037 per month in Reykjavik versus $1,806 in Athens – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $4,037 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Reykjavik and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.