Cost of living comparison

compared to

Des Moines vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Des Moines is 11.5% cheaper than Reykjavik.

Restaurants: pay 31.8% less in Des Moines
Groceries: pay 29.7% less in Des Moines
Transportation: pay 52.6% less in Des Moines
Housing: pay 13.0% less in Des Moines
Childcare: pay 2.3 times more in Des Moines
Entertainment and Sports: pay 30.5% less in Des Moines
Clothing: pay 50.9% less in Des Moines

Expenses including transportation, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing are lower in Des Moines. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.

Des Moines vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Des Moines instead of Reykjavik, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 31.8% less for restaurants

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$27.48 ISK3,473	$17.00	-38.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$22.76 ISK2,877	$12.00	-47.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.34 ISK422	$2.61	-21.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.70 ISK341	$2.15	-20.1%
Average			-31.8%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants

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pay 29.7% less for groceries

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Bread 1 loaf	$4.63 ISK586	$3.03	-34.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$9.44 ISK1,193	$6.36	-32.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.63 ISK964	$3.56	-53.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.50 ISK822	$3.61	-44.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$11.29 ISK1,427	$3.67	-67.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.59 ISK201	$1.77	+11.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.17 ISK148	$0.65	-44.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.49 ISK188	$1.66	+11.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.54 ISK321	$1.59	-37.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.70 ISK214	$0.75	-56.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.13 ISK143	$1.36	+20.6%
Average			-29.7%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries

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pay 52.6% less for transportation

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$9.66 ISK1,221	$2.93	-69.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$88.58 ISK11,197	$58.00	-34.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$50,771.00 ISK6,417,454	$26,000.00	-48.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.07 ISK3,548	$11.94	-57.5%
Average			-52.6%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation

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pay 13.0% less for housing

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$81.97 ISK10,361	$57.86	-29.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,259.48 ISK285,599	$1,214.00	-46.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$2,034.90 ISK257,212	$912.50	-55.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$60.87 ISK7,694	$108.83	+78.8%
Average			-13.0%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing

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pay 2.3 times more for childcare

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$327.78 ISK41,431	$1,369.17	+317.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$30,711.08 ISK3,881,881	$11,812.00	-61.5%
Average			+128.1%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare

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pay 30.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.12 ISK1,659	$5.00	-61.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.17 ISK780	$5.47	-11.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.94 ISK1,761	$7.14	-48.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$87.35 ISK11,041	$71.67	-18.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$17.18 ISK2,172	$15.00	-12.7%
Average			-30.5%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 50.9% less for clothing

	Reykjavik	Des Moines
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$145.10 ISK18,340	$56.67	-60.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$63.97 ISK8,086	$41.00	-35.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$193.43 ISK24,449	$73.00	-62.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$248.79 ISK31,447	$138.33	-44.4%
Average			-50.9%

Reykjavik vs. Des Moines - 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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