Cost of living comparison
compared to
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
Reykjavik is 7.5% more expensive than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.4% more in Reykjavik
- Groceries
-
pay 7.2% less in Reykjavik
- Transportation
-
pay 43.1% more in Reykjavik
- Housing
-
pay 26.7% less in Reykjavik
- Childcare
-
pay 58.4% less in Reykjavik
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.5% more in Reykjavik
- Clothing
-
pay 78.5% more in Reykjavik
The cost of clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Reykjavik are more expensive than in San Francisco. Expenses including childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in Reykjavik. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Reykjavik.
Reykjavik vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Reykjavik instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 13.4% more for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$27.48
ISK3,517
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$22.76
ISK2,913
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
|
$3.34
ISK427
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.70
ISK345
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.2% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$4.63
ISK593
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.69
|
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.85
|
$7.63
ISK976
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.26
|
$6.50
ISK832
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$11.29
ISK1,445
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$1.59
ISK204
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$1.17
ISK150
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.49
ISK190
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$2.54
ISK325
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.70
ISK217
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.13
ISK145
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of groceries
pay 43.1% more for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$9.66
ISK1,236
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$88.58
ISK11,337
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$50,771.00
ISK6,497,672
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$28.07
ISK3,592
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of transportation
pay 26.7% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.78
|
$81.97
ISK10,490
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,446.66
|
$2,259.48
ISK289,169
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,736.00
|
$2,034.90
ISK260,427
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.63
|
$60.87
ISK7,791
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of housing
pay 58.4% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,236.11
|
$327.78
ISK41,949
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,000.00
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of childcare
pay 9.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$13.12
ISK1,680
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.98
|
$6.17
ISK790
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$13.94
ISK1,783
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.64
|
$87.35
ISK11,179
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$17.18
ISK2,199
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 78.5% more for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
Reykjavik
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$145.10
ISK18,569
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.82
|
$63.97
ISK8,187
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$193.43
ISK24,755
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.67
|
$248.79
ISK31,840
|
|
San Francisco vs. Reykjavik - 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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