Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New York instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

be 34.7% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New York, that number is 29.9% of people as of 2022.

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Economy

be 21.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New York, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

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Sources: World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Bank (2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iceland vs. New York

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New York is 13.7% cheaper than Iceland overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Iceland is about 1.2 times smaller than New York.
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Moving from Iceland to New York · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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