Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and Reykjavik 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Reykjavik is 11.7% higher than in Washington, DC (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Reykjavik is 5.6% lower than in Washington, DC
Rent Prices in Reykjavik are 31.4% lower than in Washington, DC
Restaurant Prices in Reykjavik are 17.3% higher than in Washington, DC
Groceries Prices in Reykjavik are 14.7% higher than in Washington, DC
Local Purchasing Power in Reykjavik is 26.7% lower than in Washington, DC
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $
(3,195.75 kr)
26.21 $
(3,350.00 kr)
     +4.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 120.00 $
(15,339.60 kr)
140.81 $
(18,000.00 kr)
     +17.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $
(1,533.96 kr)
19.56 $
(2,500.00 kr)
     +63.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $
(1,022.64 kr)
12.13 $
(1,550.00 kr)
     +51.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 10.00 $
(1,278.30 kr)
10.56 $
(1,350.00 kr)
     +5.6 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.59 $
(714.48 kr)
5.95 $
(760.80 kr)
     +6.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.02 $
(386.00 kr)
3.23 $
(412.54 kr)
     +6.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 $
(326.89 kr)
2.54 $
(324.39 kr)
     -0.8 %
Markets
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.22 $
(539.68 kr)
6.89 $
(880.45 kr)
     +63.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.95 $
(505.49 kr)
3.61 $
(461.71 kr)
     -8.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.92 $
(373.72 kr)
1.60 $
(203.93 kr)
     -45.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.11 $
(525.15 kr)
6.39 $
(817.20 kr)
     +55.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.42 $
(948.08 kr)
7.94 $
(1,015.14 kr)
     +7.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.96 $
(889.76 kr)
10.45 $
(1,335.50 kr)
     +50.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.94 $
(1,142.71 kr)
18.31 $
(2,340.20 kr)
     +104.8 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.76 $
(352.68 kr)
1.43 $
(182.96 kr)
     -48.1 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.98 $
(125.35 kr)
1.10 $
(140.20 kr)
     +11.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.40 $
(306.21 kr)
1.29 $
(164.58 kr)
     -46.3 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.85 $
(364.51 kr)
2.33 $
(298.35 kr)
     -18.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.57 $
(200.87 kr)
1.59 $
(203.79 kr)
     +1.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.75 $
(223.70 kr)
1.04 $
(133.04 kr)
     -40.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.52 $
(321.95 kr)
3.15 $
(402.38 kr)
     +25.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.51 $
(320.53 kr)
2.09 $
(266.90 kr)
     -16.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 16.00 $
(2,045.28 kr)
23.47 $
(3,000.00 kr)
     +46.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.87 $
(366.39 kr)
3.55 $
(454.12 kr)
     +23.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.71 $
(601.76 kr)
3.10 $
(396.14 kr)
     -34.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 11.00 $
(1,406.13 kr)
13.30 $
(1,700.00 kr)
     +20.9 %
Transportation
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(319.57 kr)
5.08 $
(650.00 kr)
     +103.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 75.00 $
(9,587.25 kr)
84.49 $
(10,800.00 kr)
     +12.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.00 $
(511.32 kr)
6.18 $
(790.00 kr)
     +54.5 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.00 $
(511.32 kr)
3.95 $
(504.53 kr)
     -1.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(3,834.90 kr)
83.08 $
(10,620.00 kr)
     +176.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.48 $
(445.04 kr)
9.23 $
(1,180.35 kr)
     +165.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,500.00 $
(4,154,475.00 kr)
46,076.82 $
(5,890,000.00 kr)
     +41.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,882.60 $
(3,308,572.76 kr)
50,848.78 $
(6,500,000.00 kr)
     +96.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 210.68 $
(26,930.88 kr)
83.50 $
(10,673.77 kr)
     -60.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 60.39 $
(7,719.38 kr)
26.70 $
(3,412.61 kr)
     -55.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 66.25 $
(8,468.87 kr)
77.48 $
(9,903.99 kr)
     +16.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 115.29 $
(14,737.97 kr)
79.32 $
(10,139.05 kr)
     -31.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 38.41 $
(4,910.27 kr)
37.68 $
(4,816.67 kr)
     -1.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 17.00 $
(2,173.11 kr)
17.13 $
(2,190.00 kr)
     +0.8 %
Childcare
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,498.25 $
(319,351.30 kr)
297.88 $
(38,078.11 kr)
     -88.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 40,166.67 $
(5,134,505.00 kr)
29,291.21 $
(3,744,295.00 kr)
     -27.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 79.98 $
(10,224.35 kr)
136.53 $
(17,452.67 kr)
     +70.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 50.97 $
(6,515.99 kr)
59.22 $
(7,570.71 kr)
     +16.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 105.01 $
(13,423.43 kr)
174.82 $
(22,346.76 kr)
     +66.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 137.65 $
(17,595.52 kr)
243.10 $
(31,075.00 kr)
     +76.6 %
Rent Per Month
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,518.27 $
(321,910.36 kr)
2,155.02 $
(275,476.19 kr)
     -14.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,084.33 $
(266,440.33 kr)
1,993.14 $
(254,782.61 kr)
     -4.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,784.38 $
(739,416.66 kr)
3,094.28 $
(395,541.67 kr)
     -46.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 4,071.47 $
(520,456.09 kr)
2,669.74 $
(341,272.73 kr)
     -34.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 700.01 $
(89,482.16 kr)
684.63 $
(87,516.24 kr)
     -2.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 566.57 $
(72,424.04 kr)
577.29 $
(73,795.28 kr)
     +1.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Washington, DC Edit Reykjavik Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,962.56 $
(762,194.57 kr)
4,124.94 $
(527,290.81 kr)
     -30.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.48 9.53      +47.0 %
Last update: April 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:142117