Living in Kópavogur

In Kópavogur, average gross earnings are €6,209 a month (2026), tenants pay an average rent of €1,628 a month (2023) and unemployment is 6.5% (2021).

The annual PM2.5 concentration measured 4 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0717 sources

Population40,286people5 Aug 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland

Average gross salary6,209EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence

Median rent1,651EUR/month31 Dec 2023Official source · Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023

Unemployment rate6.51%country median 4.8% — 36% aboveOfficial source · px.hagstofa.is

Recorded crime3,760incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Bráðabirgðatölur lögreglu 2025 — Flest hegningarlagabrot á íbúa á höfuðborgarsvæðinu

PM2.5, annual mean4µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency (EEA)

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

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 Kópavogur.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month5 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€413

Internet, 60 Mbps€75

Utilities, 85 m² flat€75

Fitness club€61

Mobile plan, 10 GB€27

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	60.92 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	147.2 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	75.48 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	412.9 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	24.65 eur	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	26.97 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	75.32 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,628 EUR/month	31 Dec 2023	Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023³Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,651 EUR/month	31 Dec 2023	Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023³Official

Is Kópavogur 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 worker31%strong on work, weak on legal route · range 21–41%

Skilled employee39%strong on work, weak on education · range 30–48%

Student33%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 22–44%

Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 35–57%

Retirement32%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 19–45%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kópavogur?

The unemployment rate is about 6.5 % (2021 Census).

Unemployment rate: 6.51 % · px.hagstofa.is⁷

Unemployment across cities in IcelandUnemployment in Kópavogur is 6.5%. Of 14 cities with data, 7 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

0–22–44–66–88–1018–20

Kópavogur 6.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	6,209 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence¹¹Official
Unemployment rate	6.51 %country median 4.8%	31 Dec 2021	px.hagstofa.is⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Kópavogur?

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

Left over each month€2,031of €3,838 take-home

Rent
Utilities
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	− €1,628
Public transport passnot published for this city	—
Utilities, 85 m²€75 · market price · Numbeo · 2026-08-03	− €75
Internet€75 · market price · Numbeo · 2026-08-03	− €75
Mobile plan€27 · market price · Numbeo · 2026-08-03	− €27
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish	€2,031

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

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kópavogur. 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 Kópavogur. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Kópavogur?

Police recorded 3,760 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Bráðabirgðatölur lögreglu 2025 — Flest hegningarlagabrot á íbúa á höfuðborgarsvæðinu¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,760 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Bráðabirgðatölur lögreglu 2025 — Flest hegningarlagabrot á íbúa á höfuðborgarsvæðinu¹Official · county

Mobility and administration

Kópavogur's nearest airport was RKV, 2 km away and offered 5 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	5 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	2 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	RKV	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official
Public transport monthly pass	63.38 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁷Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Kópavogur

Climate and air quality

Kópavogur's monthly mean temperatures were 0.7°C in January and 11.6°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 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 Kópavogur?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)²

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

0°

3°-2°

4°-1°

7°1°

10°4°

13°7°

15°9°

14°9°

11°6°

8°3°

5°0°

3°-2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

110

165

209

190

183

165

118

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.54WHO 5 · EU 25

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	4 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency (EEA)²Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -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 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹³Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 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 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 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 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁶Official · 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 Kópavogur was 19,923. The male population of Kópavogur was 20,353.

How many people live in Kópavogur?

The published population was 40,286 people in January 2026. Source: Statistics Iceland⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport86%
Foreign residents14%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign residents	5,626 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁸Official
Female residents	19,923 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland¹⁰Official
Male residents	20,353 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland¹⁰Official
Population	40,286 people	5 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁹Official

Alternatives for people set on Kópavogur

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Brno as a Kópavogur alternative in another country

Better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Basic utilities, 85 m²: €266 Brno vs €75 Kópavogur+253%
A meal out: €8 Brno vs €25 Kópavogur−66%
Transport pass: €23 Brno vs €63 Kópavogur−64%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,262 Brno vs 3,760 Kópavogurno percentage

Full comparison More about Brno

Alternative cities in Iceland

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

All Iceland cities

Hafnarfjörður32,398 residents Keflavík22,697 residents Reykjanesbaer22,697 residents Gardabaer20,724 residents Akureyrarbaer20,284 residents Akureyri20,284 residents

How does Kópavogur compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Kópavogur in rankings

#7 of 24 in Cities with the highest published monthly salaries

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

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

Is Kópavogur part of Reykjavík?

Kópavogur is identified as a satellite of Reykjavík. It is about 16.1 km away by straight-line distance. Reykjavík city profile

Relationship type: Satellite Of. Source⁴

Common questions

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

How many people live in Kópavogur?

The published population was 40,286 people in January 2026. Source: Statistics Iceland.

Is the air quality good in Kópavogur?

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

How safe is Kópavogur?

What is the unemployment rate in Kópavogur?

The unemployment rate is about 6.5 % (2021 Census). Source: px.hagstofa.is.

How many foreign residents live in Kópavogur?

5,626 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Iceland.

Is Kópavogur a good place to live?

Kópavogur 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 Kópavogur part of Reykjavík?

Kópavogur is identified as a satellite of Reykjavík. It is about 16.1 km away by straight-line distance.

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). Kópavogur, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 08e371e06f79478fd32ddad9bd736e14]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/kopavogur/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kopavogur-iceland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_e3eb600875c8,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kópavogur, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {08e371e06f79478fd32ddad9bd736e14},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/kopavogur/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kópavogur, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/kopavogur/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 08e371e06f79478fd32ddad9bd736e14; 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

Bráðabirgðatölur lögreglu 2025 — Flest hegningarlagabrot á íbúa á höfuðborgarsvæðinu Bráðabirgðatölur lögreglu 2025 · assets.ctfassets.net · checked 2026-10-05
European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
Leiguskrá þinglýstra leigusamninga 2011–2023 frs3o1zldvgn.objectstorage.eu-frankfurt-1.oci.customer-oci.com · checked 2026-10-06
oecd.org place coordinates oecd.org · checked 2026-08-28
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
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

Show 7 more sources

Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence Statistics Iceland TEK02003 · px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-09-23
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03

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.