Cost of living comparison

 Seattle (WA), United States
compared to
 Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik vs. Seattle Cost of Living Summary

Reykjavik is 3.9% cheaper than Seattle.

Restaurants
pay 4.3% more in Reykjavik
Groceries
pay 1.2% less in Reykjavik
Transportation
pay 29.4% more in Reykjavik
Housing
pay 20.9% less in Reykjavik
Childcare
pay 83.7% less in Reykjavik
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.2% more in Reykjavik
Clothing
pay 36.9% more in Reykjavik

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

Reykjavik vs. Seattle Cost Breakdown

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

pay 4.3% more for restaurants

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $22.50
 
$20.00
ISK2,545
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.00
 
$18.02
ISK2,293
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.14
 
$3.15
ISK401

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pay 1.2% less for groceries

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Bread
1 loaf
$4.53
 
$3.61
ISK459
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.68
 
$7.76
ISK987
Milk (1 gallon) $4.59
 
$6.40
ISK815

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pay 29.4% more for transportation

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
 
$8.50
ISK1,082
Monthly public transit pass $99.00
 
$74.95
ISK9,538
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,656.56
 
$42,450.45
ISK5,401,820

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pay 20.9% less for housing

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$70.21
 
$69.87
ISK8,890
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,256.97
 
$1,971.17
ISK250,832
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,819.38
 
$1,803.44
ISK229,488

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pay 83.7% less for childcare

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,134.00
 
$252.14
ISK32,085
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $28,666.67
 
$5,993.99
ISK762,736

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pay 8.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.00
 
$10.81
ISK1,376
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.65
 
$5.31
ISK675
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.00
 
$12.25
ISK1,558

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pay 36.9% more for clothing

 
Seattle
Reykjavik
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$65.31
 
$108.97
ISK13,867
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$57.58
 
$49.72
ISK6,327
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$102.85
 
$151.85
ISK19,323

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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: June 2025
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