Cost of living comparison

compared to
Boston vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Boston is 92.8% more expensive than Reykjavik.

Restaurants
pay 0.9% less in Boston
Groceries
pay 34.7% more in Boston
Transportation
pay 23.1% less in Boston
Housing
pay 70.0% more in Boston
Childcare
pay 6.9 times more in Boston
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.5% more in Boston
Clothing
pay 26.8% less in Boston

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

Boston vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

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

pay 0.9% less for restaurants

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
ISK2,664
$22.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$18.02
ISK2,400
$12.55
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.15
ISK420
$3.14
 

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pay 34.7% more for groceries

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Bread
1 loaf
$3.61
ISK481
$4.39
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.76
ISK1,033
$9.48
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.40
ISK853
$4.97
 

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pay 23.1% less for transportation

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.50
ISK1,132
$3.64
 
Monthly public transit pass $74.95
ISK9,984
$90.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,450.45
ISK5,654,400
$32,000.00
 

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pay 70.0% more for housing

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.87
ISK9,306
$70.88
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,971.17
ISK262,560
$3,280.96
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,803.44
ISK240,218
$2,453.85
 

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pay 6.9 times more for childcare

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $252.14
ISK33,585
$2,428.57
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,993.99
ISK798,400
$25,000.00
 

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pay 5.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.81
ISK1,440
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.31
ISK707
$5.79
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.25
ISK1,631
$13.83
 

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pay 26.8% less for clothing

 
Reykjavik
Boston
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$108.97
ISK14,515
$64.32
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.72
ISK6,623
$43.83
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$151.85
ISK20,227
$98.17
 

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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: March 2025
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