Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Akranes

For one person, living is cheaper in Swindon: $2,768 a month against $3,713 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Swindon, United Kingdom
Akranes, Iceland
Swindon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,768
/mo nomad
Akranes
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,713
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Swindon and in Akranes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,768 in Swindon versus $3,713 in Akranes.

  • Swindon $2,768
  • Akranes $3,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,814 in Swindon versus $5,859 in Akranes.

  • Swindon $3,814
  • Akranes $5,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,861 in Swindon versus $8,006 in Akranes.

  • Swindon $4,861
  • Akranes $8,006

Living in Swindon costs roughly 25% less than in Akranes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swindon 103% above, Akranes 173% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.27 £15.23
$31.70 ISK 3,862
-36.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.0 £47.36
$123 ISK 15.0K
-48.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 £8.06
$26.72 ISK 3,255
-59.88%
Cappuccino
$4.79 £3.60
$6.01 ISK 733
-20.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 £2.34
$3.19 ISK 389
-2.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 £1.21
$2.51 ISK 306
-36.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.72 £4.30
$10.69 ISK 1,302
-46.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.62 £3.47
$8.10 ISK 987
-42.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.25
$2.10 ISK 255
-20.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 £1.47
$2.04 ISK 248
-3.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 £1.41
$3.71 ISK 452
-49.60%
Eggs
$4.49 £3.37
$6.26 ISK 763
-28.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 £7.13
$20.35 ISK 2,479
-53.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 £6.90
$24.72 ISK 3,012
-62.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.45 £10.86
$42.16 ISK 5,137
-65.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.34
$3.30 ISK 402
-5.76%
Banana (1kg)
$2.47 £1.86
$2.72 ISK 331
-9.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 £3.06
$3.23 ISK 394
26.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 £3.19
$4.89 ISK 596
-13.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.52
$3.82 ISK 465
-47.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.71 ISK 208
1.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 £1.48
$3.65 ISK 445
-46.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 £1.29
$1.81 ISK 221
-4.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.34 £17.54
$13.90 ISK 1,693
67.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 £11.47
$23.57 ISK 2,872
-35.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.86 £2.90
$2.88 ISK 351
34.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 £2.87
$2.07 ISK 252
84.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.09 £3.08
$3.61 ISK 440
13.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.9 £74.3
$72.3 ISK 8,809
36.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 £5.10
$6.55 ISK 798
3.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.25 ISK 153
35.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.54 £16.19
$81.9 ISK 9,980
-73.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$2.08 ISK 253
-2.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.3K
$67.8K ISK 8.3M
-42.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.7K
$54.6K ISK 6.6M
-25.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$636 £478
$96.4 ISK 11.7K
559.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.23 £12.20
$33.29 ISK 4,056
-51.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.50 £33.45
$85.0 ISK 10.4K
-47.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.18 £25.69
$104 ISK 12.7K
-67.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.11 £17.37
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.61 £13.24
$19.29 ISK 2,351
-8.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,966 £1,478
$1,205 ISK 146.8K
63.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,376 £4,040
$26.1K ISK 3.2M
-79.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.0 £66.9
$150 ISK 18.2K
-40.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.92 £33.01
$67.1 ISK 8,176
-34.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 £61.5
$179 ISK 21.8K
-54.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 £64.3
$246 ISK 29.9K
-65.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 £948
$3,064 ISK 373.3K
-58.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 £815
$1,889 ISK 230.2K
-42.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,027 £1,524
$5,013 ISK 610.8K
-59.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,698 £1,276
$3,654 ISK 445.2K
-53.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,289 £3,975
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,741 £2,812
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Swindon
Akranes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,969 £2,232
$5,704 ISK 695.0K
-47.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.59
8.81
-36.55%

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

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Akranes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Swindon
$1.1K
Akranes
$1.9K 74.1% $804
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
$697
Akranes
$215 69.2% $482
Groceries & Markets
Swindon
$343
Akranes
$579 69% $237
Eating Out
Swindon
$309
Akranes
$498 61.5% $190
Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
$135
Akranes
$289 114% $154
Getting Around
Swindon
$131
Akranes
$100 23.7% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
$69
Akranes
$143 106% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,262 in Swindon and $3,064 in Akranes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Swindon vs $123 in Akranes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $579 per month, with Swindon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Swindon
🇮🇸 Akranes
🕒 Local time
07:03 7:03 AM
07:03 7:03 AM
Same time as Swindon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,638
7,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Swindon Akranes 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Swindon
  • Akranes

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
Swindon vs Akranes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Swindon or Akranes?
Swindon wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Swindon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Swindon or in Akranes?
On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Swindon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Swindon compared to Akranes?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,262 in Swindon versus $3,064 in Akranes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Swindon compared to Akranes?
All in, you’ll spend $2,768 per month in Swindon versus $3,713 in Akranes – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Swindon compared to Akranes?
A monthly transit pass in Akranes runs roughly 27% less than in Swindon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Should I move to Swindon or to Akranes?
It comes down to priorities – Swindon wins on affordability, Akranes on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Swindon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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