Cost of living comparison

 Reykjavik, Iceland
compared to
 Sydney, Australia
Sydney vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Sydney is 65.4% more expensive than Reykjavik.

Restaurants
pay 22.5% less in Sydney
Groceries
pay 10.1% less in Sydney
Transportation
pay 11.9% more in Sydney
Housing
pay 37.2% more in Sydney
Childcare
pay 5.5 times more in Sydney
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.5% more in Sydney
Clothing
pay 21.6% less in Sydney

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

Sydney vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

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

pay 22.5% less for restaurants

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
ISK2,689
$16.48
A$26.03
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$18.02
ISK2,423
$9.89
A$15.62
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.15
ISK424
$2.49
A$3.94

Improve prices ·

pay 10.1% less for groceries

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Bread
1 loaf
$3.61
ISK485
$2.80
A$4.42
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.76
ISK1,043
$5.66
A$8.94
Milk (1 gallon) $6.40
ISK861
$6.60
A$10.43

Improve prices ·

pay 11.9% more for transportation

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.50
ISK1,143
$4.95
A$7.82
Monthly public transit pass $74.95
ISK10,078
$143.27
A$226.33
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,450.45
ISK5,707,888
$29,276.08
A$46,249.74

Improve prices ·

pay 37.2% more for housing

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.87
ISK9,394
$52.22
A$82.50
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,971.17
ISK265,044
$2,177.38
A$3,439.78
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,803.44
ISK242,491
$1,459.01
A$2,304.91

Improve prices ·

pay 5.5 times more for childcare

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $252.14
ISK33,903
$1,995.92
A$3,153.11
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,993.99
ISK805,952
$17,906.19
A$28,287.83

Improve prices ·

pay 17.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.81
ISK1,454
$6.59
A$10.41
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.31
ISK713
$3.47
A$5.48
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.25
ISK1,646
$32.95
A$52.06

Improve prices ·

pay 21.6% less for clothing

 
Reykjavik
Sydney
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$108.97
ISK14,652
$74.12
A$117.10
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.72
ISK6,685
$53.36
A$84.29
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$151.85
ISK20,418
$108.20
A$170.93

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: March 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

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

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 Sydney or Reykjavik. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.