Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 24.4% more expensive than Reykjavik.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.5% less in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 10.1% less in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 34.3% less in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 74.3% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.3% less in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 40.4% less in San Diego
The cost of childcare and housing in San Diego are more expensive than in Reykjavik. Expenses including clothing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in San Diego. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Reykjavik, you would:
pay 18.5% less for restaurants
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$27.48
ISK3,517
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$22.76
ISK2,913
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.34
ISK427
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
ISK345
|
$2.50
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.1% less for groceries
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.63
ISK593
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.63
ISK976
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.50
ISK832
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.29
ISK1,445
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.59
ISK204
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.17
ISK150
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.49
ISK190
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.54
ISK325
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
ISK217
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
ISK145
|
$1.12
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 34.3% less for transportation
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$9.66
ISK1,236
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.58
ISK11,337
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$50,771.00
ISK6,497,672
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$28.07
ISK3,592
|
$19.40
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 74.3% more for housing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.97
ISK10,490
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,259.48
ISK289,169
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,034.90
ISK260,427
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$60.87
ISK7,791
|
$205.84
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$327.78
ISK41,949
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 14.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$13.12
ISK1,680
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.17
ISK790
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.94
ISK1,783
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$87.35
ISK11,179
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.18
ISK2,199
|
$17.50
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 40.4% less for clothing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$145.10
ISK18,569
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.97
ISK8,187
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$193.43
ISK24,755
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$248.79
ISK31,840
|
$126.25
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Diego - Cost of clothing
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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