Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iceland vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
Iceland is 48.6% more expensive than Germany overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 32.5% more in Iceland
- Groceries
-
pay 52.1% more in Iceland
- Transportation
-
pay 25.5% more in Iceland
- Housing
-
pay 86.7% more in Iceland
- Childcare
-
pay 26.5% more in Iceland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 63.4% more in Iceland
- Clothing
-
pay 53.4% more in Iceland
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, restaurants, and childcare in Iceland are more expensive than in Germany. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Iceland.
Iceland vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iceland instead of Germany, you would:
pay 32.5% more for restaurants
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.25
€14.01
|
$26.52
ISK3,394
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.88
€10.24
|
$21.32
ISK2,728
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
€2.84
|
$3.11
ISK398
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.53
|
$2.72
ISK348
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 52.1% more for groceries
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$3.80
ISK487
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.39
€6.37
|
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.79
€4.13
|
$7.78
ISK996
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.84
€3.31
|
$6.71
ISK859
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.58
€5.67
|
$11.22
ISK1,436
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
€1.25
|
$1.50
ISK191
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.71
|
$1.15
ISK147
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.91
|
$1.41
ISK181
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
€1.90
|
$2.34
ISK300
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.61
|
$1.65
ISK211
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.62
|
$1.09
ISK140
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 25.5% more for transportation
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.59
€6.55
|
$9.65
ISK1,235
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.94
€54.28
|
$79.56
ISK10,182
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,651.13
€27,293.63
|
$49,144.25
ISK6,289,481
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.45
€23.67
|
$25.55
ISK3,270
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 86.7% more for housing
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.64
€41.94
|
$95.65
ISK12,241
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.65
€754.23
|
$2,289.17
ISK292,968
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$695.68
€599.90
|
$1,830.04
ISK234,209
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$258.10
€222.57
|
$65.15
ISK8,338
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 26.5% more for childcare
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.10
€428.67
|
$334.67
ISK42,830
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,538.74
€14,261.81
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 63.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.05
€4.36
|
$11.14
ISK1,426
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
€3.40
|
$5.62
ISK720
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.74
€8.40
|
$13.90
ISK1,778
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.02
€34.51
|
$78.17
ISK10,004
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
€12.42
|
$16.75
ISK2,144
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 53.4% more for clothing
|
Germany
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$91.81
€79.17
|
$130.91
ISK16,753
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.05
€39.71
|
$61.83
ISK7,913
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.53
€88.42
|
$163.81
ISK20,965
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.07
€115.61
|
$237.31
ISK30,371
|
|
Germany vs. Iceland - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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 Germany. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.