Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 67.1% more expensive than Reykjavik.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% less in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 20.4% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 25.8% less in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 66.5% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 5.6 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.4% less in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 42.3% less in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, housing, and groceries in San Francisco are more expensive than in Reykjavik. Expenses including clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in San Francisco. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Reykjavik, you would:
pay 8.0% less for restaurants
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$27.48
ISK3,517
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$22.76
ISK2,913
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.34
ISK427
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
ISK345
|
$2.59
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.4% more for groceries
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.63
ISK593
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.63
ISK976
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.50
ISK832
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.29
ISK1,445
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.59
ISK204
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.17
ISK150
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.49
ISK190
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.54
ISK325
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
ISK217
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
ISK145
|
$1.81
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 25.8% less for transportation
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$9.66
ISK1,236
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.58
ISK11,337
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$50,771.00
ISK6,497,672
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$28.07
ISK3,592
|
$20.31
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 66.5% more for housing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.97
ISK10,490
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,259.48
ISK289,169
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,034.90
ISK260,427
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$60.87
ISK7,791
|
$179.63
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 5.6 times more for childcare
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$327.78
ISK41,949
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 3.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$13.12
ISK1,680
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.17
ISK790
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.94
ISK1,783
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$87.35
ISK11,179
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.18
ISK2,199
|
$17.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 42.3% less for clothing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$145.10
ISK18,569
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.97
ISK8,187
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$193.43
ISK24,755
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$248.79
ISK31,840
|
$133.67
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco - 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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