Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iceland vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Iceland is 32.6% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 46.1% more in Iceland
- Groceries
-
pay 17.2% more in Iceland
- Transportation
-
pay 61.9% more in Iceland
- Housing
-
pay 7.8% more in Iceland
- Childcare
-
pay 29.1% less in Iceland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.0% more in Iceland
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0 times more in Iceland
The cost of clothing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in Iceland are more expensive than in New York. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Iceland.
Iceland vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iceland instead of New York, you would:
pay 46.1% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$26.52
ISK3,394
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$21.32
ISK2,728
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$3.11
ISK398
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.72
ISK348
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of restaurants
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pay 17.2% more for groceries
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$3.80
ISK487
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$7.78
ISK996
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$6.71
ISK859
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$11.22
ISK1,436
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$1.50
ISK191
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.15
ISK147
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$1.41
ISK181
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.34
ISK300
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.65
ISK211
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.09
ISK140
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of groceries
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pay 61.9% more for transportation
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$9.65
ISK1,235
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$79.56
ISK10,182
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$49,144.25
ISK6,289,481
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$25.55
ISK3,270
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of transportation
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pay 7.8% more for housing
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$95.65
ISK12,241
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$2,289.17
ISK292,968
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$1,830.04
ISK234,209
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$65.15
ISK8,338
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of housing
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pay 29.1% less for childcare
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$334.67
ISK42,830
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of childcare
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pay 24.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$11.14
ISK1,426
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.62
ISK720
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$13.90
ISK1,778
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$78.17
ISK10,004
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$16.75
ISK2,144
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 2.0 times more for clothing
|
New York
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$130.91
ISK16,753
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$61.83
ISK7,913
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$163.81
ISK20,965
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$237.31
ISK30,371
|
|
New York vs. Iceland - Cost of clothing
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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: December 2025
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cost of living in United States vs. Iceland.
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