Living in Akureyri

In Akureyri, unemployment is 4.5% (2021).

Akureyri is a city in Iceland.

Last checked 2026-10-0711 sources

Population20,284people5 Aug 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland

Average gross salary5,647EUR/month31 Jul 2026Municipality figureOfficial source · Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence

Median rent1,207EUR/month31 Dec 2023Municipality figureOfficial source · Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023

Unemployment rate4.52%country median 4.8% — 5% belowOfficial source · px.hagstofa.is

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

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 Akureyri.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€57

Mobile plan, 10 GB€36

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	57.23 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	SÍMINN fixed internet⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	35.74 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Síminn mobile plan⁶Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,219 EUR/month	31 Dec 2023	Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023¹Official · parent municipality
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,207 EUR/month	31 Dec 2023	Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023¹Official · parent municipality

Is Akureyri 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 air quality · range 24–46%

Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–71%

Student38%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 26–50%

Family56%strong on family, weak on safety · range 44–68%

Retirement36%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 22–50%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

9.6% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 1,941 of 20,284 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in IcelandUnemployment in Akureyri is 4.5%. Of 14 cities with data, 7 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

0–22–44–66–88–1018–20

Akureyri 4.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	5,647 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence¹⁰Official · parent municipality
Unemployment rate	4.52 %country median 4.8%	31 Dec 2021	px.hagstofa.is⁴Official

What does a salary buy in Akureyri?

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

Left over each month€2,525of €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	− €1,219
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	€2,525

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Akureyri Salary needed to live in Akureyri

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Directorate of Labour — Public employment service

Vinnumálastofnun

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Iceland service overview

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

Mobility and administration

Akureyri's nearest airport was AEY, 3 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights²Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	3 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports³Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	AEY	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports³Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Akureyri. 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 Akureyri.

Find courses near Akureyri

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −0.5°C in January and 11.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 60.2 mm in January and 33.7 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 6.5 hours in January and 152.5 hours in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

3°-4°

4°-3°

7°0°

10°3°

14°7°

15°8°

12°5°

7°1°

4°-2°

3°-4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

128

171

190

153

138

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan 2.7 · Feb 2.6 · Mar 3.5 · Apr 6.6 · May 10.3 · Jun 13.7 · Jul 15.1 · Aug 14.8 · Sep 11.8 · Oct 6.6 · Nov 3.6 · Dec 2.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -3.5 · Feb -3.6 · Mar -2.6 · Apr -0.3 · May 3.2 · Jun 6.6 · Jul 8.5 · Aug 7.9 · Sep 5.4 · Oct 1.1 · Nov -2.1 · Dec -3.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -0.5 · Feb -0.8 · Mar 0 · Apr 2.6 · May 6.2 · Jun 9.6 · Jul 11.2 · Aug 10.8 · Sep 8 · Oct 3.5 · Nov 0.6 · Dec -0.7 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 60.2 · Feb 52.2 · Mar 47.4 · Apr 25.9 · May 24.1 · Jun 20.7 · Jul 33.7 · Aug 41.4 · Sep 53.2 · Oct 74 · Nov 68.3 · Dec 72.8 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 6.5 · Feb 33.9 · Mar 77.9 · Apr 127.5 · May 171 · Jun 189.9 · Jul 152.5 · Aug 138 · Sep 90.4 · Oct 47.9 · Nov 15.2 · Dec 0.3 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹¹Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. Elsewhere: Jönköping (Sweden) ±2.3 °C, Turku (Finland) ±2.9 °C, Haninge (Sweden) ±2.7 °C, Huddinge (Sweden) ±2.6 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±4.6 °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 Akureyri was 10,020. The male population of Akureyri was 10,251.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport90.4%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign residents	1,941 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁷Official
Female residents	10,020 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁹Official
Male residents	10,251 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁹Official
Population	20,284 people	5 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Akureyri

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

Alternative cities in Iceland

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

All Iceland cities

Akureyrarbaer20,284 residents Gardabaer20,724 residents Keflavík22,697 residents Reykjanesbaer22,697 residents Mosfellsbaer13,772 residents Hafnarfjörður32,398 residents

How does Akureyri compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Akureyri 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; Akureyri's school authority applies it locally.

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

Common questions

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

What is the unemployment rate in Akureyri?

The unemployment rate is 4.52 %. Source: px.hagstofa.is.

How many people live in Akureyri?

The published population is 20,284 people. Source: Statistics Iceland.

How many foreign residents live in Akureyri?

1,941 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Iceland.

Is Akureyri a good place to live?

Akureyri 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.

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). Akureyri, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 8476090cc15493752a8476b40c5bcb35]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akureyri/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_akureyri-iceland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_03cfafcf52ab,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Akureyri, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {8476090cc15493752a8476b40c5bcb35},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akureyri/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Akureyri, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/akureyri/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 8476090cc15493752a8476b40c5bcb35; 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

Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023 frs3o1zldvgn.objectstorage.eu-frankfurt-1.oci.customer-oci.com · checked 2026-10-06
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
px.hagstofa.is px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-26
SÍMINN fixed internet sidan.is · checked 2026-09-15
Síminn mobile plan siminn.is · checked 2026-09-15
Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-05
Statistics Iceland px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence Statistics Iceland TEK02003 · px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-09-23

Show 1 more source

World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.