Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iceland vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Iceland is 40.4% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 46.4% more in Iceland
- Groceries
-
pay 27.2% more in Iceland
- Transportation
-
pay 75.1% more in Iceland
- Housing
-
pay 12.2% more in Iceland
- Childcare
-
pay 21.8% less in Iceland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.0% more in Iceland
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0 times more in Iceland
The cost of clothing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in Iceland are more expensive than in United States. Notably, clothing and transportation are significantly more expensive in Iceland.
Iceland vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iceland instead of United States, you would:
pay 46.4% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$26.52
ISK3,332
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$21.32
ISK2,678
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.11
ISK391
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.72
ISK342
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.2% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.80
ISK478
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$9.44
ISK1,186
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$7.78
ISK977
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$6.71
ISK843
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$11.22
ISK1,409
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.50
ISK188
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.15
ISK144
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.41
ISK178
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.34
ISK294
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.65
ISK207
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.09
ISK137
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of groceries
pay 75.1% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$9.65
ISK1,213
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$79.56
ISK9,995
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$49,144.25
ISK6,173,992
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$25.55
ISK3,210
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of transportation
pay 12.2% more for housing
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$95.65
ISK12,016
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$2,289.17
ISK287,588
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,830.04
ISK229,909
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$65.15
ISK8,185
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of housing
pay 21.8% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$334.67
ISK42,044
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$30,711.08
ISK3,858,233
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of childcare
pay 43.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$11.14
ISK1,400
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.62
ISK707
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$13.90
ISK1,746
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$78.17
ISK9,821
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$16.75
ISK2,105
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.0 times more for clothing
|
United States
|
Iceland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$130.91
ISK16,446
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$61.83
ISK7,768
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$163.81
ISK20,580
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$237.31
ISK29,813
|
|
United States vs. Iceland - 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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