Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iceland vs. France Cost of Living Summary
Iceland is 59.0% more expensive than France overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 43.1% more in Iceland
- Groceries
-
pay 39.4% more in Iceland
- Transportation
-
pay 31.9% more in Iceland
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in Iceland
- Childcare
-
pay 69.7% more in Iceland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.2% more in Iceland
- Clothing
-
pay 57.4% more in Iceland
The cost of housing, childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Iceland are more expensive than in France. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Iceland.
Iceland vs. France Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iceland instead of France, you would:
pay 43.1% more for restaurants
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.40
€14.85
|
$26.52
ISK3,332
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.58
€10.75
|
$21.32
ISK2,678
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.85
€2.44
|
$3.11
ISK391
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.92
€1.64
|
$2.72
ISK342
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of restaurants
pay 39.4% more for groceries
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.00
€1.71
|
$3.80
ISK478
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.90
€8.45
|
$9.44
ISK1,186
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.07
€4.33
|
$7.78
ISK977
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.06
€3.47
|
$6.71
ISK843
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.32
€5.39
|
$11.22
ISK1,409
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.38
€1.18
|
$1.50
ISK188
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
€0.88
|
$1.15
ISK144
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
€1.13
|
$1.41
ISK178
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.53
€1.31
|
$2.34
ISK294
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
€0.82
|
$1.65
ISK207
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.09
€0.93
|
$1.09
ISK137
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of groceries
pay 31.9% more for transportation
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.83
€6.69
|
$9.65
ISK1,213
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$55.31
€47.23
|
$79.56
ISK9,995
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,101.00
€29,971.41
|
$49,144.25
ISK6,173,992
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.22
€18.12
|
$25.55
ISK3,210
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$32.49
€27.74
|
$95.65
ISK12,016
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$812.51
€693.77
|
$2,289.17
ISK287,588
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$661.67
€564.97
|
$1,830.04
ISK229,909
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$156.40
€133.55
|
$65.15
ISK8,185
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of housing
pay 69.7% more for childcare
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$772.72
€659.80
|
$334.67
ISK42,044
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,376.63
€8,860.21
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,858,233
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of childcare
pay 48.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
€5.98
|
$11.14
ISK1,400
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.57
€3.05
|
$5.62
ISK707
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.51
€11.54
|
$13.90
ISK1,746
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.74
€33.93
|
$78.17
ISK9,821
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.44
€11.47
|
$16.75
ISK2,105
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 57.4% more for clothing
|
France
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$95.54
€81.58
|
$130.91
ISK16,446
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.45
€35.39
|
$61.83
ISK7,768
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.85
€85.26
|
$163.81
ISK20,580
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$132.46
€113.10
|
$237.31
ISK29,813
|
|
France vs. Iceland - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Iceland or France. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.