Cost of living comparison

compared to
Reykjavik vs. Boston Cost of Living Summary

Reykjavik is 5.3% cheaper than Boston.

Restaurants
pay 5.1% more in Reykjavik
Groceries
pay 12.7% less in Reykjavik
Transportation
pay 48.6% more in Reykjavik
Housing
pay 32.9% less in Reykjavik
Childcare
pay 82.8% less in Reykjavik
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3% less in Reykjavik
Clothing
pay 40.2% more in Reykjavik

The cost of transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Reykjavik are more expensive than in Boston. Expenses including childcare, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Reykjavik.

Reykjavik vs. Boston Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Reykjavik instead of Boston, you would:

pay 5.1% more for restaurants

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $22.00
 
$20.00
ISK2,831
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.55
 
$18.02
ISK2,551
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.14
 
$3.15
ISK446

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pay 12.7% less for groceries

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Bread
1 loaf
$4.39
 
$3.61
ISK511
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.48
 
$7.76
ISK1,098
Milk (1 gallon) $4.97
 
$6.40
ISK907

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pay 48.6% more for transportation

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.64
 
$8.50
ISK1,203
Monthly public transit pass $90.00
 
$74.95
ISK10,611
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,000.00
 
$42,450.45
ISK6,009,286

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pay 32.9% less for housing

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$70.88
 
$69.87
ISK9,890
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $3,280.96
 
$1,971.17
ISK279,039
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,453.85
 
$1,803.44
ISK255,295

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pay 82.8% less for childcare

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,428.57
 
$252.14
ISK35,693
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,000.00
 
$5,993.99
ISK848,510

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pay 2.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.00
 
$10.81
ISK1,530
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.79
 
$5.31
ISK751
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.83
 
$12.25
ISK1,733

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pay 40.2% more for clothing

 
Boston
Reykjavik
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$64.32
 
$108.97
ISK15,426
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$43.83
 
$49.72
ISK7,038
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$98.17
 
$151.85
ISK21,496

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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: February 2025
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