Cost of living comparison

compared to
Reykjavik vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary

Reykjavik is 66.3% more expensive than Abu Dhabi.

Restaurants
pay 3.0 times more in Reykjavik
Groceries
pay 95.4% more in Reykjavik
Transportation
pay 2.5 times more in Reykjavik
Housing
pay 9.6% more in Reykjavik
Childcare
pay 57.8% less in Reykjavik
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.2% more in Reykjavik
Clothing
pay 45.3% more in Reykjavik

The cost of restaurants, transportation, groceries, clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing in Reykjavik are more expensive than in Abu Dhabi. Notably, restaurants, transportation, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Reykjavik.

Reykjavik vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Reykjavik instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:

pay 3.0 times more for restaurants

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.89
AED40.00
$20.00
ISK2,552
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.53
AED35.00
$18.02
ISK2,299
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.08
AED3.95
$3.15
ISK402

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pay 95.4% more for groceries

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Bread
1 loaf
$1.37
AED5.03
$3.61
ISK461
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.80
AED17.63
$7.76
ISK990
Milk (1 gallon) $6.85
AED25.17
$6.40
ISK817

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pay 2.5 times more for transportation

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.03
AED11.11
$8.50
ISK1,085
Monthly public transit pass $24.50
AED90.00
$74.95
ISK9,565
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $45,026.41
AED165,381.32
$42,450.45
ISK5,417,102

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pay 9.6% more for housing

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$103.04
AED378.46
$69.87
ISK8,916
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,349.31
AED4,955.98
$1,971.17
ISK251,541
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,005.59
AED3,693.53
$1,803.44
ISK230,137

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pay 57.8% less for childcare

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $669.40
AED2,458.69
$252.14
ISK32,176
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,841.46
AED47,166.47
$5,993.99
ISK764,894

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pay 21.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.89
AED40.00
$10.81
ISK1,380
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.88
AED21.61
$5.31
ISK677
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.13
AED22.50
$12.25
ISK1,563

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pay 45.3% more for clothing

 
Abu Dhabi
Reykjavik
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$67.20
AED246.81
$108.97
ISK13,906
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$62.59
AED229.90
$49.72
ISK6,345
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$103.06
AED378.55
$151.85
ISK19,378

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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