Iceland vs. Seattle Cost of Living Summary

Iceland is 8.8% more expensive than Seattle.

Restaurants
pay 15.5% more in Iceland
Groceries
pay 9.0% less in Iceland
Transportation
pay 46.5% more in Iceland
Housing
pay 12.8% less in Iceland
Childcare
pay 41.2% less in Iceland
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.3% more in Iceland
Clothing
pay 54.5% more in Iceland

The cost of clothing, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Iceland are more expensive than in Seattle. Expenses including childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in Iceland.

Iceland vs. Seattle Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Iceland instead of Seattle, you would:

pay 15.5% more for restaurants

 
Seattle
Iceland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $25.00
 
$26.52
ISK3,262
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$15.00
 
$21.32
ISK2,622
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.00
 
$3.11
ISK382

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pay 9.0% less for groceries

 
Seattle
Iceland
Bread
1 loaf
$5.23
 
$3.80
ISK468
Local cheese (8 oz) $11.39
 
$9.44
ISK1,161
Milk (1 gallon) $5.40
 
$7.78
ISK957

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pay 46.5% more for transportation

 
Seattle
Iceland
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.55
 
$9.65
ISK1,187
Monthly public transit pass $99.50
 
$79.56
ISK9,785
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,656.56
 
$49,144.25
ISK6M

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pay 12.8% less for housing

 
Seattle
Iceland
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$78.37
 
$95.65
ISK11,764
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,333.68
 
$2,289.17
ISK282K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,900.00
 
$1,830.04
ISK225K

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pay 41.2% less for childcare

 
Seattle
Iceland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,200.00
 
$334.67
ISK41,160
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $30,000.00
 
$30,711.08
ISK4M

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pay 8.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Seattle
Iceland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.75
 
$11.14
ISK1,370
Cappuccino in mid-range area $6.04
 
$5.62
ISK692
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.75
 
$13.90
ISK1,709

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pay 54.5% more for clothing

 
Seattle
Iceland
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$69.52
 
$130.91
ISK16,100
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$54.68
 
$61.83
ISK7,604
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$116.24
 
$163.81
ISK20,147

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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: February 2026
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