Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,545 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Berlin

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Berlin $5,257

Reykjavik costs about 59% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reykjavik and Berlin sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$16.81 €15.00

81.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$79.6 €71.0

70.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$13.38 €11.94

102.39%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$4.27 €3.81

57.38%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$3.40 €3.03

-3.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$3.12 €2.79

1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$5.48 €4.89

153.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$4.56 €4.07

164.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.27 €1.13

60.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$2.45 €2.19

76.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$3.30 €2.94

11.21%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$4.45 €3.97

57.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$17.10 €15.26

28.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$12.19 €10.88

102.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$18.30 €16.33

133.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$3.58 €3.19

-5.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$1.98 €1.77

43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$3.27 €2.92

-3.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$3.81 €3.40

67.72%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$2.13 €1.90

88.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$2.21 €1.97

-25.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.49 €1.33

155.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$1.01 €0.90

72.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$10.49 €9.37

31.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$6.76 €6.03

245.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.34 €1.20

163.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$2.10 €1.87

64.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$4.37 €3.90

32.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$71.0 €63.3

34.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$5.29 €4.72

25.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$3.05 €2.73

-8.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$36.30 €32.39

124.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$2.28 €2.03

-7.46%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$33.2K €29.7K

52.88%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$39.1K €34.9K

35.04%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$379 €339

-76.62%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$19.31 €17.23

63.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$48.41 €43.20

74.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$40.31 €35.97

149.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$35.51 €31.69

35.74%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$15.53 €13.86

27.95%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$144 €128

788.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$15.8K €14.1K

96.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$94.6 €84.5

69.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$46.33 €41.34

40.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$103 €92.2

76.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$141 €126

79.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$1,488 €1,328

67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$1,098 €980

82.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$2,665 €2,378

29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$2,080 €1,856

31.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$8,578 €7,655

-6.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$5,438 €4,853

14.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$3,487 €3,112

34.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

3.8

131.84%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 45.1% $902

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 43.9% $275

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 45.1% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 41.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 118% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 49.1% $69

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 21.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $1,488 in Berlin. 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 35% higher in Reykjavik, 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 $136 in Reykjavik versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $351 – making Berlin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 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 = 8.2 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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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Berlin 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Berlin

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 Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $3,818 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, 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 $4,037 in Reykjavik and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 59%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Berlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,037 in Reykjavik and $2,545 in Berlin. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Berlin – 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 Berlin. 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.