Cost of living comparison

 Durham (NC), United States
compared to
 Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik vs. Durham Cost of Living Summary

Reykjavik is 29.5% more expensive than Durham.

Restaurants
pay 49.8% more in Reykjavik
Groceries
pay 39.2% more in Reykjavik
Transportation
pay 2.3 times more in Reykjavik
Housing
pay 9.1% less in Reykjavik
Childcare
pay 78.5% less in Reykjavik
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.0% more in Reykjavik
Clothing
pay 42.0% more in Reykjavik

The cost of transportation, restaurants, clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Reykjavik are more expensive than in Durham. Expenses including childcare and housing are lower in Reykjavik. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Reykjavik.

Reykjavik vs. Durham Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Reykjavik instead of Durham, you would:

pay 49.8% more for restaurants

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.00
 
$20.00
ISK2,545
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.00
 
$18.02
ISK2,293
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.18
 
$3.15
ISK401

Improve prices ·

pay 39.2% more for groceries

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Bread
1 loaf
$3.82
 
$3.61
ISK459
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.85
 
$7.76
ISK987
Milk (1 gallon) $3.29
 
$6.40
ISK815

Improve prices ·

pay 2.3 times more for transportation

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.25
 
$8.50
ISK1,082
Monthly public transit pass $18.00
 
$74.95
ISK9,538
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,689.37
 
$42,450.45
ISK5,401,820

Improve prices ·

pay 9.1% less for housing

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$73.33
 
$69.87
ISK8,890
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,875.00
 
$1,971.17
ISK250,832
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,433.33
 
$1,803.44
ISK229,488

Improve prices ·

pay 78.5% less for childcare

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,270.00
 
$252.14
ISK32,085
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,900.00
 
$5,993.99
ISK762,736

Improve prices ·

pay 37.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$10.81
ISK1,376
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.81
 
$5.31
ISK675
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.50
 
$12.25
ISK1,558

Improve prices ·

pay 42.0% more for clothing

 
Durham
Reykjavik
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.91
 
$108.97
ISK13,867
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$47.71
 
$49.72
ISK6,327
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$112.67
 
$151.85
ISK19,323

Improve prices ·
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: June 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in United States vs. Iceland. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Iceland.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Reykjavik or Durham. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.