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Living in Akranes

In Akranes, average gross earnings are €5,984 a month (2026), tenants pay an average rent of €1,335 a month (2023) and unemployment is 4.1% (2021).

Akranes recorded annual PM2.5 of 4 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0723 sources

Population8,440people5 Aug 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland
Average gross salary5,984EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence
Median rent1,334EUR/month31 Dec 2023Official source · Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023
Unemployment rate4.11%country median 4.8% — 14% belowOfficial source · px.hagstofa.is
PM2.5, annual mean4µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency (EEA)

Which Iceland-wide rules apply when you move to Akranes?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in IcelandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Akranes.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Akranes recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€57
Mobile plan, 10 GB€36
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited57.23 EUR/month30 Sept 2026SÍMINN fixed internet11Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB35.74 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Síminn mobile plan12Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)1,335 EUR/month31 Dec 2023Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–20236Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)1,334 EUR/month31 Dec 2023Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–20236Official

Is Akranes a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker35%strong on work, weak on safety · range 25–45%
Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–71%
Student35%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 24–46%
Family54%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–65%
Retirement33%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 20–46%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Akranes?

The unemployment rate is about 4.1 % (2021 Census).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.11 % · px.hagstofa.is9
Unemployment across cities in IcelandUnemployment in Akranes is 4.1%. Of 14 cities with data, 7 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings5,984 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence16Official
Unemployment rate4.11 %country median 4.8%31 Dec 2021px.hagstofa.is9Official

What does a salary buy in Akranes?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Iceland median gross pay: €4,965 (2022-12-31).
Left over each month€2,410of €3,838 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.€3,838
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023 · 2023-12-31− €1,335
Internet€57 · official · SÍMINN fixed internet · 2026-09-30− €57
Mobile plan€36 · official · Síminn mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €36
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€2,410
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Akranes Salary needed to live in Akranes

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Akranes. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information
Open the Iceland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Akranes. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Akranes's nearest airport was RKV, 22 km away and offered 5 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport5 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights7Official
Distance to the nearest major airport22 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)RKV3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Akranes. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Directorate of Labour Icelandic courses for registered foreign jobseekers — State Language Course

Directorate of Labour

For foreign jobseekers registered for unemployment benefits.

IcelandicIn PersonFree
Open official information

Recognised Icelandic teaching provider grant route — Other

Rannís and the Icelandic authorities

For recognised providers teaching Icelandic to foreigners.

Icelandic
Open official information
Open the full Iceland section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Akranes.

Find courses near Akranes

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 0.7°C in January and 11.6°C in July. Akranes's monthly precipitation totalled 87.1 mm in January and 49.9 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 22.6 hours in January and 183.1 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Akranes?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)3

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean4 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency (EEA)3Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 3.2 · Feb 3.3 · Mar 4.2 · Apr 6.9 · May 10.1 · Jun 13 · Jul 14.9 · Aug 14.1 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 7.6 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 3.3 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI17Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan -1.7 · Feb -1.9 · Mar -1.3 · Apr 1 · May 4 · Jun 7.2 · Jul 9.1 · Aug 8.6 · Sep 6.2 · Oct 2.7 · Nov -0.1 · Dec -1.6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 0.7 · Feb 0.5 · Mar 1.2 · Apr 3.7 · May 6.7 · Jun 9.8 · Jul 11.6 · Aug 11 · Sep 8.5 · Oct 4.9 · Nov 2.2 · Dec 0.8 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI19Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 87.1 · Feb 90.6 · Mar 80.7 · Apr 59 · May 52.6 · Jun 43.3 · Jul 49.9 · Aug 64.5 · Sep 87 · Oct 79.8 · Nov 86.5 · Dec 94.9 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI20Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 22.6 · Feb 61.6 · Mar 110.3 · Apr 165.1 · May 209 · Jun 189.5 · Jul 183.1 · Aug 164.8 · Sep 118.3 · Oct 91.6 · Nov 39.7 · Dec 12.6 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI21Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. Elsewhere: Jönköping (Sweden) ±2.4 °C, Bad Camberg (Germany) ±2.4 °C, Bad Soden am Taunus (Germany) ±2.4 °C, Eppstein (Germany) ±2.4 °C, Eschborn (Germany) ±2.4 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The female population of Akranes was 4,131. The male population of Akranes was 4,303.

How many people live in Akranes?

The published population was 8,440 people in January 2026. Source: Statistics Iceland14

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Foreign residents886 people7 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland13Official
Female residents4,131 people7 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland15Official
Male residents4,303 people7 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland15Official
Population8,440 people5 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland14Official

Alternatives for people set on Akranes

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Akranes from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Cities near Akranes

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Iceland

Other cities in Iceland to compare with Akranes, nearest in population first.

All Iceland cities
Selfoss12,671 residentsSveitarfelagid Arborg12,671 residentsMulathing5,235 residentsFjardabyggd5,228 residentsMosfellsbaer13,772 residentsAkureyrarbaer20,284 residents

How does Akranes compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Akranes's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Akranes when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: íslenska sem annað tungumál (Icelandic as a second language instruction). How to enrol a child (menntamalaraduneyti.is).

A country-wide rule for Iceland; Akranes's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.

Is Akranes part of Reykjavík?

Akranes is near Reykjavík, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 21.8 km away by straight-line distance. Reykjavík city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source4

Which comparable places record less crime than Akranes?

Akranes has the lowest recorded total crime rate in this source-matched cohort, but this is not an absolute safety ranking.

Akranes: 1,583.6 offences/100k (2022).

Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source1

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Akranes?

The published population was 8,440 people in January 2026. Source: Statistics Iceland.

Is the air quality good in Akranes?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

What is the unemployment rate in Akranes?

The unemployment rate is about 4.1 % (2021 Census). Source: px.hagstofa.is.

How many foreign residents live in Akranes?

886 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Iceland.

Is Akranes a good place to live?

Akranes may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Is Akranes part of Reykjavík?

Akranes is near Reykjavík, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 21.8 km away by straight-line distance.

Which cities are near Akranes?

Mosfellsbaer is near Akranes. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

Which comparable places record less crime than Akranes?

Akranes has the lowest recorded total crime rate in this source-matched cohort, but this is not an absolute safety ranking. The comparison uses Iceland Lögreglan recorded-crime dashboard 2018-2022 Svaedi scope + Statistics Iceland MAN030102 localities 1 January 2022, period 2022, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Akranes, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 590576237616e74ed5642ab64b03cf81]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akranes/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_akranes-iceland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_be3d70c037a1,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Akranes, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {590576237616e74ed5642ab64b03cf81},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akranes/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Akranes, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akranes/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 590576237616e74ed5642ab64b03cf81; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. app.powerbi.com recorded crime data app.powerbi.com · checked 2026-08-28
  2. assets.ctfassets.net recorded crime data assets.ctfassets.net · checked 2026-08-28
  3. European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  4. gisco-services.ec.europa.eu place coordinates gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-28
  5. island.is recorded crime data island.is · checked 2026-08-28
  6. Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023 frs3o1zldvgn.objectstorage.eu-frankfurt-1.oci.customer-oci.com · checked 2026-10-06
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. px.hagstofa.is px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-26
  10. px.hagstofa.is recorded crime data px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-28
Show 13 more sources
  1. SÍMINN fixed internet sidan.is · checked 2026-09-15
  2. Síminn mobile plan siminn.is · checked 2026-09-15
  3. Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-07
  4. Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-05
  5. Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-07
  6. Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence Statistics Iceland TEK02003 · px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-09-23
  7. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  11. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  12. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  13. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q829859 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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