Cost of living comparison

 Washington (DC), United States
compared to
 Iceland
Iceland vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary

Iceland is 10.8% cheaper than Washington.

Restaurants
pay 2.8% more in Iceland
Groceries
pay 10.5% less in Iceland
Transportation
pay 32.5% more in Iceland
Housing
pay 26.7% less in Iceland
Childcare
pay 86.4% less in Iceland
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.0% less in Iceland
Clothing
pay 27.9% more in Iceland

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

Iceland vs. Washington Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.8% more for restaurants

 
Washington
Iceland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $25.00
 
$19.40
ISK2,552
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.00
 
$16.94
ISK2,229
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.78
 
$2.81
ISK370

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pay 10.5% less for groceries

 
Washington
Iceland
Bread
1 loaf
$4.34
 
$2.95
ISK389
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.84
 
$7.27
ISK956
Milk (1 gallon) $4.14
 
$6.01
ISK790

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pay 32.5% more for transportation

 
Washington
Iceland
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.66
 
$8.36
ISK1,100
Monthly public transit pass $75.00
 
$71.28
ISK9,379
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,699.74
 
$40,660.66
ISK5,350,130

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pay 26.7% less for housing

 
Washington
Iceland
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$66.46
 
$72.17
ISK9,497
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,582.95
 
$1,838.04
ISK241,849
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,028.70
 
$1,497.77
ISK197,077

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pay 86.4% less for childcare

 
Washington
Iceland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,273.25
 
$258.16
ISK33,969
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $38,250.00
 
$5,993.99
ISK788,690

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pay 15.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Washington
Iceland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.00
 
$9.19
ISK1,209
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.55
 
$4.65
ISK612
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$11.75
 
$11.76
ISK1,547

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pay 27.9% more for clothing

 
Washington
Iceland
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$74.13
 
$111.23
ISK14,636
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.77
 
$59.69
ISK7,854
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$105.47
 
$148.00
ISK19,474

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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: April 2025
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