Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iceland vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
Iceland is 64.0% more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 74.8% more in Iceland
- Groceries
-
pay 61.4% more in Iceland
- Transportation
-
pay 51.9% more in Iceland
- Housing
-
pay 79.8% more in Iceland
- Childcare
-
pay 40.4% more in Iceland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.2% more in Iceland
- Clothing
-
pay 84.6% more in Iceland
The cost of clothing, housing, restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Iceland are more expensive than in New Zealand. Notably, clothing and housing are significantly more expensive in Iceland.
Iceland vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iceland instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 74.8% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.45
NZ$25.19
|
$26.52
ISK3,394
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.14
NZ$15.93
|
$21.32
ISK2,728
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
NZ$3.68
|
$3.11
ISK398
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
NZ$3.52
|
$2.72
ISK348
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of restaurants
pay 61.4% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
NZ$3.03
|
$3.80
ISK487
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
NZ$6.77
|
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.34
NZ$11.05
|
$7.78
ISK996
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.96
NZ$10.39
|
$6.71
ISK859
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.01
NZ$6.99
|
$11.22
ISK1,436
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
NZ$2.06
|
$1.50
ISK191
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.66
|
$1.15
ISK147
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
NZ$2.26
|
$1.41
ISK181
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
NZ$3.68
|
$2.34
ISK300
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
NZ$1.48
|
$1.65
ISK211
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
NZ$1.39
|
$1.09
ISK140
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of groceries
pay 51.9% more for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.08
NZ$10.60
|
$9.65
ISK1,235
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$74.52
NZ$129.96
|
$79.56
ISK10,182
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,777.66
NZ$43,211.84
|
$49,144.25
ISK6,289,481
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
NZ$31.06
|
$25.55
ISK3,270
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of transportation
pay 79.8% more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.00
NZ$87.19
|
$95.65
ISK12,241
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$978.36
NZ$1,706.24
|
$2,289.17
ISK292,968
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$810.06
NZ$1,412.73
|
$1,830.04
ISK234,209
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.66
NZ$166.83
|
$65.15
ISK8,338
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of housing
pay 40.4% more for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.34
NZ$1,108.03
|
$334.67
ISK42,830
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,463.91
NZ$23,480.84
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of childcare
pay 55.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
NZ$10.54
|
$11.14
ISK1,426
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
NZ$5.85
|
$5.62
ISK720
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.12
NZ$40.33
|
$13.90
ISK1,778
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.72
NZ$65.79
|
$78.17
ISK10,004
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
NZ$18.69
|
$16.75
ISK2,144
|
|
New Zealand vs. Iceland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 84.6% more for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.22
NZ$113.75
|
$130.91
ISK16,753
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.23
NZ$68.42
|
$61.83
ISK7,913
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.28
NZ$157.45
|
$163.81
ISK20,965
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.43
NZ$208.28
|
$237.31
ISK30,371
|
|
New Zealand 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 New Zealand. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.