Cost of living comparison

compared to

North Charleston vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

North Charleston is 1.5% more expensive than Reykjavik.

Restaurants: pay 21.6% less in North Charleston
Groceries: pay 2.1% more in North Charleston
Transportation: pay 46.8% less in North Charleston
Housing: pay 36.3% more in North Charleston
Childcare: pay 2.3 times more in North Charleston
Entertainment and Sports: pay 39.9% less in North Charleston
Clothing: pay 51.7% less in North Charleston

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

North Charleston vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Charleston instead of Reykjavik, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.6% less for restaurants

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$27.48 ISK3,452	$21.50	-21.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$22.76 ISK2,859	$12.00	-47.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.34 ISK419	$3.00	-10.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.70 ISK339	$2.50	-7.3%
Average			-21.6%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.1% more for groceries

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Bread 1 loaf	$4.63 ISK582	$3.67	-20.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$9.44 ISK1,186	$7.93	-16.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.63 ISK959	$3.94	-48.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.50 ISK817	$4.73	-27.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$11.29 ISK1,419	$6.25	-44.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.59 ISK200	$4.04	+153.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.17 ISK147	$0.83	-29.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.49 ISK187	$2.12	+42.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.54 ISK319	$2.47	-2.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.70 ISK213	$1.95	+14.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.13 ISK142	$1.15	+1.7%
Average			+2.1%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of groceries

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pay 46.8% less for transportation

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$9.66 ISK1,214	$2.99	-69.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$88.58 ISK11,129	$50.00	-43.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$50,771.00 ISK6,378,360	$35,699.74	-29.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.07 ISK3,526	$15.53	-44.7%
Average			-46.8%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of transportation

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pay 36.3% more for housing

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$81.97 ISK10,298	$83.60	+2.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,259.48 ISK283,859	$2,026.67	-10.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$2,034.90 ISK255,645	$1,500.00	-26.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$60.87 ISK7,648	$170.33	+179.8%
Average			+36.3%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of housing

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pay 2.3 times more for childcare

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$327.78 ISK41,179	$1,366.67	+316.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$30,711.08 ISK3,858,233	$14,400.00	-53.1%
Average			+131.9%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of childcare

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pay 39.9% less for entertainment and sports

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.12 ISK1,649	$6.00	-54.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.17 ISK776	$5.92	-4.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.94 ISK1,751	$8.00	-42.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$87.35 ISK10,974	$17.49	-80.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$17.18 ISK2,159	$14.00	-18.5%
Average			-39.9%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 51.7% less for clothing

	Reykjavik	North Charleston
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$145.10 ISK18,228	$55.00	-62.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$63.97 ISK8,036	$36.00	-43.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$193.43 ISK24,301	$95.80	-50.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$248.79 ISK31,256	$123.50	-50.4%
Average			-51.7%

Reykjavik vs. North Charleston - 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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