Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Iceland Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Iceland

🙂 Solo nomad: United States is 32.8% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 23.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: United States is 34.7% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 20.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Iceland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 $20.33
$26.87 ISK 3,353
-24.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.4 $74.4
$126 ISK 15.7K
-41.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.49 $11.49
$20.34 ISK 2,538
-43.51%
Cappuccino
$5.09 $5.09
$6.09 ISK 760
-16.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$3.36 ISK 419
-24.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$2.7 ISK 337
-21.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.09 $6.09
$12.07 ISK 1,506
-49.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.1 $7.1
$10.47 ISK 1,306
-32.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Iceland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.95 ISK 243
-44.62%
White Bread (500g)
$3.7 $3.7
$4.07 ISK 508
-9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.65 $4.65
$3.48 ISK 434
33.62%
Eggs
$4.21 $4.21
$6.36 ISK 793
-33.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.75 $12.75
$18.36 ISK 2,290
-30.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.24 $12.24
$24.71 ISK 3,082
-50.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.08 $16.08
$42.1 ISK 5,251
-61.81%
Apples (1kg)
$5.41 $5.41
$3.18 ISK 397
70.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 $1.73
$2.49 ISK 310
-30.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.92 ISK 365
49.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.94 $4.94
$4.86 ISK 606
1.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$3.68 ISK 460
-21.74%
Onion (1kg)
$3.07 $3.07
$2.26 ISK 281
35.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 $2.25
$3.17 ISK 396
-29.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.2 ISK 274
0.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.09 $10.09
$14.05 ISK 1,753
-28.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.73 $14.73
$24.13 ISK 3,010
-38.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 $1.91
$3.63 ISK 453
-47.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 $3.54
$3.21 ISK 401
10.28%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Iceland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.56 $2.56
$5.24 ISK 653
-51.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 $63.9
$84.3 ISK 10.5K
-24.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 $3.81
$6.26 ISK 781
-39.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.37 ISK 296
-25.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.4 $30.4
$86.5 ISK 10.8K
-64.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$2.46 ISK 307
-61.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30K $30K
$47.9K ISK 6M
-37.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$54K ISK 6.7M
-52.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Iceland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 $209
$90.4 ISK 11.3K
130.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$57.9 $57.9
$27.54 ISK 3,435
110.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.1 $71.1
$85.9 ISK 10.7K
-17.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Iceland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.88 $45.88
$81.8 ISK 10.2K
-43.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.25 $22.25
$37.74 ISK 4,708
-41.04%
Cinema Ticket
$14.14 $14.14
$17.35 ISK 2,164
-18.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Iceland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,373 $1,373
$348 ISK 43.4K
294.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.4K $22.4K
$29.5K ISK 3.7M
-24.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Iceland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.5 $51.5
$137 ISK 17.1K
-62.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.96 $41.96
$64.2 ISK 8,005
-34.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.3 $88.3
$171 ISK 21.4K
-48.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 $112
$254 ISK 31.6K
-56.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Iceland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,731 $1,731
$2,216 ISK 276.4K
-21.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 $1,446
$2,002 ISK 249.8K
-27.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,846 $2,846
$3,148 ISK 392.7K
-9.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,366 $2,366
$2,722 ISK 339.5K
-13.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,245 $3,245
$7,550 ISK 941.9K
-57.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,667 $2,667
$6,306 ISK 786.7K
-57.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Iceland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,312 $4,312
$4,591 ISK 572.7K
-6.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
9.88
-34.11%

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

Last update for United States: October 27, 2025

Last update for Iceland: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.