Cost of living comparison

compared to

Des Plaines vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Des Plaines is 8.8% more expensive than Reykjavik.

Restaurants: pay 31.3% less in Des Plaines
Groceries: pay 18.5% less in Des Plaines
Transportation: pay 45.6% less in Des Plaines
Housing: pay 18.8% more in Des Plaines
Childcare: pay 2.9 times more in Des Plaines
Entertainment and Sports: pay 5.4% less in Des Plaines
Clothing: pay 44.7% less in Des Plaines

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

Des Plaines vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 31.3% less for restaurants

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$27.48 ISK3,517	$15.50	-43.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$22.76 ISK2,913	$12.00	-47.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.34 ISK427	$2.75	-17.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.70 ISK345	$2.25	-16.6%
Average			-31.3%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of restaurants

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pay 18.5% less for groceries

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Bread 1 loaf	$4.63 ISK593	$3.90	-15.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$9.44 ISK1,208	$7.05	-25.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.63 ISK976	$3.49	-54.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.50 ISK832	$4.13	-36.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$11.29 ISK1,445	$5.56	-50.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.59 ISK204	$2.02	+26.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.17 ISK150	$0.77	-34.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.49 ISK190	$1.85	+24.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.54 ISK325	$2.09	-17.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.70 ISK217	$1.16	-31.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.13 ISK145	$1.26	+11.4%
Average			-18.5%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of groceries

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pay 45.6% less for transportation

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$9.66 ISK1,236	$3.46	-64.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$88.58 ISK11,337	$60.00	-32.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$50,771.00 ISK6,497,672	$29,500.00	-41.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.07 ISK3,592	$15.68	-44.1%
Average			-45.6%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of transportation

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pay 18.8% more for housing

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$81.97 ISK10,490	$72.85	-11.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,259.48 ISK289,169	$1,700.00	-24.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$2,034.90 ISK260,427	$1,600.00	-21.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$60.87 ISK7,791	$141.41	+132.3%
Average			+18.8%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of housing

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$327.78 ISK41,949	$1,628.82	+396.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$30,711.08 ISK3,930,404	$24,601.00	-19.9%
Average			+188.5%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of childcare

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pay 5.4% less for entertainment and sports

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.12 ISK1,680	$6.50	-50.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.17 ISK790	$5.53	-10.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.94 ISK1,783	$14.50	+4.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$87.35 ISK11,179	$124.50	+42.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$17.18 ISK2,199	$15.00	-12.7%
Average			-5.4%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 44.7% less for clothing

	Reykjavik	Des Plaines
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$145.10 ISK18,569	$64.24	-55.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$63.97 ISK8,187	$48.33	-24.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$193.43 ISK24,755	$99.48	-48.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$248.79 ISK31,840	$124.00	-50.2%
Average			-44.7%

Reykjavik vs. Des Plaines - 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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