Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 49.9% more expensive than Reykjavik.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.6% less in San Mateo
- Groceries
-
pay 20.5% more in San Mateo
- Transportation
-
pay 34.8% less in San Mateo
- Housing
-
pay 64.7% more in San Mateo
- Childcare
-
pay 5.0 times more in San Mateo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.9% less in San Mateo
- Clothing
-
pay 60.7% less in San Mateo
The cost of childcare, housing, and groceries in San Mateo are more expensive than in Reykjavik. Expenses including clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in San Mateo. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Mateo.
San Mateo vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Reykjavik, you would:
pay 20.6% less for restaurants
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$27.48
ISK3,517
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$22.76
ISK2,913
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.34
ISK427
|
$3.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
ISK345
|
$2.34
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.5% more for groceries
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.63
ISK593
|
$5.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
$7.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.63
ISK976
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.50
ISK832
|
$8.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.29
ISK1,445
|
$9.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.59
ISK204
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.17
ISK150
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.49
ISK190
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.54
ISK325
|
$3.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
ISK217
|
$2.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
ISK145
|
$2.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 34.8% less for transportation
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$9.66
ISK1,236
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.58
ISK11,337
|
$65.60
|
|
| 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
|
?? | |
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 64.7% more for housing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.97
ISK10,490
|
$63.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,259.48
ISK289,169
|
$2,743.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,034.90
ISK260,427
|
$2,855.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$60.87
ISK7,791
|
$194.97
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 5.0 times more for childcare
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$327.78
ISK41,949
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
$42,750.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 19.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$13.12
ISK1,680
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.17
ISK790
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.94
ISK1,783
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$87.35
ISK11,179
|
$95.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.18
ISK2,199
|
$15.99
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 60.7% less for clothing
|
Reykjavik
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$145.10
ISK18,569
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.97
ISK8,187
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$193.43
ISK24,755
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$248.79
ISK31,840
|
$60.00
|
|
Reykjavik vs. San Mateo - 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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