Cost of living comparison

Iceland

compared to

United States

Redwood City vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Redwood City is 3.8% more expensive than Reykjavik.

Restaurants: pay 30.6% less in Redwood City
Groceries: pay 2.4% more in Redwood City
Transportation: pay 30.2% less in Redwood City
Housing: pay 52.1% more in Redwood City
Childcare: pay 2.0 times more in Redwood City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 3.8% more in Redwood City
Clothing: pay 58.7% less in Redwood City

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

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Redwood City vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Redwood City instead of Reykjavik, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 30.6% less for restaurants

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$31.06 ISK3,813	$25.00	-19.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$26.97 ISK3,312	$13.25	-50.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.31 ISK407	$3.16	-4.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$3.11 ISK381	$2.70	-13.1%
Average			-30.6%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.4% more for groceries

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Bread 1 loaf	$4.19 ISK515	$5.31	+26.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$10.93 ISK1,342	$7.58	-30.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.78 ISK955	$5.67	-27.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$7.08 ISK869	$7.60	+7.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$11.00 ISK1,351	$4.85	-55.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.50 ISK185	$2.78	+84.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.27 ISK156	$1.30	+2.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.46 ISK179	$2.00	+37.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.93 ISK360	$2.90	-1.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.78 ISK218	$1.34	-24.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.76 ISK93	$1.67	+120.2%
Average			+2.4%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of groceries

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pay 30.2% less for transportation

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$7.76 ISK953	$5.78	-25.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$94.80 ISK11,641	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$50,588.43 ISK6M	$36,998.00	-26.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$29.26 ISK3,593	$14.09	-51.8%
Average			-30.2%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of transportation

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pay 52.1% more for housing

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$86.01 ISK10,561	$70.00	-18.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,522.88 ISK310K	$4,250.00	+68.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$2,032.25 ISK250K	$2,500.00	+23.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$73.44 ISK9,018	$184.67	+151.5%
Average			+52.1%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of housing

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pay 2.0 times more for childcare

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,185.23 ISK146K	$2,942.94	+148.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$25,853.51 ISK3M	$42,562.50	+64.6%
Average			+102.2%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of childcare

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pay 3.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.89 ISK1,706	$8.00	-42.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.74 ISK828	$5.66	-16.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.89 ISK1,706	$12.00	-13.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$100.25 ISK12,310	$240.00	+139.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$19.57 ISK2,403	$18.00	-8.0%
Average			+3.8%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 58.7% less for clothing

	Reykjavik	Redwood City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$149.01 ISK18,297	$45.00	-69.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$65.79 ISK8,078	$25.00	-62.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$181.84 ISK22,328	$100.00	-45.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$248.81 ISK30,551	$115.00	-53.8%
Average			-58.7%

Reykjavik vs. Redwood City - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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