Living in Reykjavík

In Reykjavík, average gross earnings are €5,905 a month (2026), rent averages €24.29 per m² a month (2026) and unemployment is 8.4% (2021).

Reykjavík (Icelandic: Reykjavikurborg) is the national capital of Iceland.

Last checked 2026-10-1021 sources

Population139,804people1 Jan 2026Official source · Iceland official denominator source

Average gross salary5,905EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence

Average net rent24.29EUR/m²/month31 Aug 2026Official source · Leiguverðsjá HMS — Gögn til niðurhals

Unemployment rate8.38%country median 4.8% — 75% 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 2024Official source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data

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

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 Reykjavík.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Practical estimates in July 2026 placed basic utilities for an 85 m² home at €74.31 per month, fixed internet at €71.49 per month, and an inexpensive restaurant meal at €24.32. A mobile plan with at least 10 GB of data cost €22.63 per month at the provider's published price in October 2026. A monthly estimate placed a fitness-club membership at €81.61 in July 2026.

How much does it cost to rent in Reykjavikurborg?

Average net cold rent is about 24.29 EUR/m² per month (2026-08), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

Average net rent (nettokalt): 24.29 EUR/m²/month · Leiguverðsjá HMS — Gögn til niðurhals⁷

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€948

Transport pass€88

Fitness club€82

Utilities, 85 m² flat€74

Internet, 60 Mbps€71

Mobile plan, 10 GB€23

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	81.61 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik¹⁹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	147.2 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁰Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	71.49 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik¹⁹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	947.5 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik¹⁹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	24.32 EUR	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik¹⁹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	22.63 EUR/month	31 Oct 2026	Farsími — Síminn mobile plans⁵Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	87.59 EUR/month	16 Jul 2026	Pricing — Strætó: 30 day pass¹²Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	74.31 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik¹⁹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Average net rent (nettokalt)	24.29 EUR/m²/month	31 Aug 2026	Leiguverðsjá HMS — Gögn til niðurhals⁷Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,894 EUR/month	28 Feb 2025	Meðalleiga lægst en fermetraverð hæst í Reykjavík í febrúar⁸Official

Is Reykjavík 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 worker29%strong on work, weak on legal route · range 20–38%

Skilled employee33%strong on work, weak on housing · range 25–41%

Student25%strong on education, weak on housing · range 17–33%

Family22%strong on family, weak on housing · range 13–31%

Retirement36%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 25–47%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 1,457 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 24.29 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2026-08

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Reykjavikurborg?

The unemployment rate is about 8.4 % (2021 Census).

Unemployment rate: 8.38 % · px.hagstofa.is¹³

Unemployment across cities in IcelandUnemployment in Reykjavík is 8.4%. Of 14 cities with data, 7 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

0–22–44–66–88–1018–20

Reykjavík 8.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	5,905 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence¹⁸Official
Public employment offices	1 count	15 Sept 2026	Directorate of Labour — Reykjavik area²Official
Unemployment rate	8.38 %country median 4.8%	31 Dec 2021	px.hagstofa.is¹³Official

What does a salary buy in Reykjavík?

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

Left over each month€2,124of €3,838 take-home

Rent
Utilities
Transport
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
Rent, 60 m²€24.29/m² · official · Leiguverðsjá HMS · 2026-08-31	− €1,457
Public transport pass€88 · official · Pricing · 2026-07-16	− €88
Utilities, 85 m²€74 · market price · Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik · 2026-07-31	− €74
Internet€71 · market price · Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik · 2026-07-31	− €71
Mobile plan€23 · official · Farsími · 2026-10-31	− €23
Left over	€2,124

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

Public employment offices in Reykjavík

Directorate of Labour lists 1 public employment office in Reykjavík (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Directorate of Labour — Public employment service

Vinnumálastofnun

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Iceland service overview

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Family and education

A monthly estimate placed private kindergarten fees at €948 in July 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public language course providers	1 count	31 Aug 2026	Official public language-service provider/location register⁹Official

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; Reykjavík's school authority applies it locally.

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

Safety

How safe is Reykjavikurborg?

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	5 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁰Official
Nearest airport	RKV	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official
Distance to nearest airport	2 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official
Public transport monthly pass	78.87 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁰Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration in Reykjavík

2 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

2verified local records

1publicly funded course provider

Directorate of Labour Icelandic course service

Grensásvegur 9, Reykjavík

View official record

Reykjavik

View official record

Check courses in Reykjavík How the country programme works

Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Reykjavík

Climate and air quality

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. Annual PM2.5 was 4 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Average July highs reached 14.9°C.

Is the air quality good in Reykjavikurborg?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data³

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

NO₂8.7WHO 10 · EU 40

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	8.7 µg/m³	31 Dec 2013	Eurostat⁴Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	4 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data³Official
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²¹Independent
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²¹Independent
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²¹Independent
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²¹Independent
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	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²¹Independent

Population and city profile

Reykjavík had a population of 139,804 at the start of 2026. The city area was 274 km² at the start of 2010.

How many people live in Reykjavikurborg?

The published population was 139,804 people in January 2026. Source: Iceland official denominator source⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport78.5%
Foreign residents21.5%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	274 km²	1 Jan 2010	Statistics Iceland official material for city area km2¹⁶Official
Foreign-resident share	21.51 %	1 Jan 2026	Statistics Iceland official material for foreign population total¹⁷Official
Foreign residents	30,065 people	1 Jan 2026	Statistics Iceland official material for foreign population total¹⁷Official
Female residents	68,587 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁶Official
Male residents	71,096 people	7 Aug 2026	Statistics Iceland⁶Official
Population	139,804 people	1 Jan 2026	Iceland official denominator source⁶Official

International community in Reykjavík

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Population resident at 1 January 2026; total sex; Statistics Iceland population table · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	139,804	100.0%
Iceland	100,587	71.9%
Poland	7,461	5.3%
Ukraine	2,235	1.6%
Philippines	1,717	1.2%
Lithuania	1,667	1.2%
Denmark	1,589	1.1%
United States	1,511	1.1%
Viet Nam	1,436	1.0%
Romania	1,324	0.9%
Sweden	1,235	0.9%

Show 165 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Venezuela	1,057	0.8%
Latvia	1,051	0.8%
United Kingdom	841	0.6%
Germany	808	0.6%
Spain	718	0.5%
Thailand	627	0.4%
Norway	564	0.4%
India	559	0.4%
France	522	0.4%
Portugal	519	0.4%
Greece	500	0.4%
Syria	475	0.3%
Palestine	460	0.3%
Italy	457	0.3%
China	438	0.3%
Foreign country not specified	391	0.3%
Croatia	346	0.2%
Czechia	338	0.2%
Russia	332	0.2%
Afghanistan	321	0.2%
Nigeria	318	0.2%
Moldova	316	0.2%
Hungary	308	0.2%
Ghana	283	0.2%
Iran	281	0.2%
Pakistan	274	0.2%
Serbia	273	0.2%
Iraq	243	0.2%
Albania	236	0.2%
Colombia	210	0.2%
Canada	208	0.1%
Bulgaria	203	0.1%
Slovakia	203	0.1%
Netherlands	197	0.1%
Morocco	185	0.1%
Brazil	148	0.1%
Kosovo	142	0.1%
Somalia	138	0.1%
Turkey	134	0.1%
Mexico	128	0.1%
Finland	124	0.1%
Nepal	111	0.1%
Belgium	104	0.1%
Switzerland	101	0.1%
Georgia	97	0.1%
Ireland	97	0.1%
Japan	94	0.1%
Faroe Islands	92	0.1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	89	0.1%
Australia	87	0.1%
Former Soviet Union	85	0.1%
Estonia	83	0.1%
Argentina	81	0.1%
Ethiopia	77	0.1%
Indonesia	73	0.1%
Chile	71	0.1%
Kenya	61	0.0%
Ecuador	60	0.0%
Luxembourg	60	0.0%
Egypt	57	0.0%
Austria	54	0.0%
Peru	54	0.0%
Uganda	54	0.0%
Sri Lanka	52	0.0%
Belarus	49	0.0%
Equatorial Guinea	47	0.0%
Countries in former Yugoslavia, unspecified	47	0.0%
Cuba	46	0.0%
South Africa	43	0.0%
Lebanon	42	0.0%
Malaysia	37	0.0%
Senegal	37	0.0%
Slovenia	36	0.0%
Algeria	34	0.0%
North Macedonia	34	0.0%
Israel	33	0.0%
Kazakhstan	32	0.0%
New Zealand	32	0.0%
Honduras	31	0.0%
Tunisia	31	0.0%
Dominican Republic	30	0.0%
Cameroon	28	0.0%
Jordan	27	0.0%
Korea, South-	25	0.0%
Libya	25	0.0%
Bangladesh	22	0.0%
Guinea	21	0.0%
Tanzania	21	0.0%
Yemen	21	0.0%
Angola	20	0.0%
Gambia	20	0.0%
Guatemala	20	0.0%
Cabo Verde	19	0.0%
Greenland	19	0.0%
Mozambique	19	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	19	0.0%
Costa Rica	16	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	15	0.0%
El Salvador	15	0.0%
Cyprus	14	0.0%
Uzbekistan	14	0.0%
Côte d'Ivoire	13	0.0%
Jamaica	13	0.0%
Mongolia	13	0.0%
Singapore	13	0.0%
Togo	13	0.0%
Bolivia	11	0.0%
Montenegro	11	0.0%
Malawi	11	0.0%
Namibia	11	0.0%
Sudan	11	0.0%
Armenia	10	0.0%
Guyana	10	0.0%
Panama	10	0.0%
South Sudan	10	0.0%
Taiwan	9	0.0%
Azerbaijan	8	0.0%
Hong Kong	8	0.0%
Sierra Leone	8	0.0%
Uruguay	8	0.0%
Zimbabwe	8	0.0%
Tajikistan	7	0.0%
Zambia	7	0.0%
Eritrea	6	0.0%
Kyrgyzstan	6	0.0%
Malta	6	0.0%
Congo, Democratic Republic of	5	0.0%
Haiti	5	0.0%
Mali	5	0.0%
Nicaragua	5	0.0%
Czech Republic and Slovakia, unspecified	5	0.0%
Burkina Faso	4	0.0%
Liberia	4	0.0%
Oman	4	0.0%
Chad	4	0.0%
Bahamas	3	0.0%
Congo, Republic of	3	0.0%
Mauritania	3	0.0%
Trinidad and Tobago	3	0.0%
Andorra	2	0.0%
Bahrain	2	0.0%
Dominica	2	0.0%
Kuwait	2	0.0%
Laos	2	0.0%
Myanmar	2	0.0%
Mauritius	2	0.0%
Niger	2	0.0%
Papua New Guinea	2	0.0%
Qatar	2	0.0%
Solomon Islands	2	0.0%
Barbados	1	0.0%
Burundi	1	0.0%
Djibouti	1	0.0%
Western Sahara	1	0.0%
Fiji	1	0.0%
Guernsey	1	0.0%
Guinea-Bissau	1	0.0%
Cambodia	1	0.0%
Saint Lucia	1	0.0%
Monaco	1	0.0%
Maldives	1	0.0%
Rwanda	1	0.0%
Turkmenistan	1	0.0%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1	0.0%
Europe, country not specified	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁴

Citizenship

Population resident at 1 January 2026; total sex; Statistics Iceland population table · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	139,804	100.0%
Iceland	109,739	78.5%
Poland	7,410	5.3%
Ukraine	2,172	1.6%
Lithuania	2,099	1.5%
Romania	1,607	1.1%
Latvia	1,056	0.8%
Venezuela	1,032	0.7%
Philippines	1,012	0.7%
Viet Nam	933	0.7%
Spain	920	0.7%

Show 144 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Portugal	678	0.5%
United States	638	0.5%
Greece	540	0.4%
Germany	538	0.4%
Italy	515	0.4%
Palestine	509	0.4%
India	479	0.3%
United Kingdom	433	0.3%
France	412	0.3%
Croatia	408	0.3%
Syria	371	0.3%
Czechia	319	0.2%
Nigeria	318	0.2%
Afghanistan	317	0.2%
Hungary	317	0.2%
Denmark	308	0.2%
Pakistan	236	0.2%
China	232	0.2%
Iraq	215	0.2%
Ghana	214	0.2%
Iran	210	0.2%
Thailand	206	0.1%
Sweden	194	0.1%
Slovakia	185	0.1%
Bulgaria	162	0.1%
Somalia	161	0.1%
Albania	150	0.1%
Netherlands	143	0.1%
Russia	138	0.1%
Canada	119	0.1%
Ireland	112	0.1%
Norway	105	0.1%
Serbia	105	0.1%
Colombia	82	0.1%
Turkey	77	0.1%
Morocco	75	0.1%
Estonia	74	0.1%
Mexico	71	0.1%
Brazil	69	0.0%
Finland	68	0.0%
Georgia	65	0.0%
Japan	64	0.0%
Austria	53	0.0%
Ethiopia	50	0.0%
Belgium	47	0.0%
Kosovo	46	0.0%
Chile	43	0.0%
Nepal	42	0.0%
Egypt	39	0.0%
Uganda	37	0.0%
Switzerland	36	0.0%
Slovenia	33	0.0%
Australia	31	0.0%
Indonesia	29	0.0%
Kenya	29	0.0%
Moldova	28	0.0%
Malaysia	27	0.0%
Cameroon	26	0.0%
Tunisia	24	0.0%
Bangladesh	22	0.0%
Belarus	22	0.0%
Cuba	21	0.0%
Argentina	19	0.0%
Yemen	19	0.0%
Sri Lanka	18	0.0%
Libya	17	0.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	16	0.0%
Peru	16	0.0%
Kazakhstan	15	0.0%
Senegal	15	0.0%
Costa Rica	14	0.0%
Korea, South-	14	0.0%
Honduras	13	0.0%
North Macedonia	13	0.0%
Gambia	12	0.0%
Guinea	12	0.0%
Cyprus	11	0.0%
Ecuador	11	0.0%
New Zealand	11	0.0%
South Sudan	11	0.0%
Stateless	11	0.0%
Israel	10	0.0%
Malawi	10	0.0%
South Africa	10	0.0%
Jordan	9	0.0%
Dominican Republic	8	0.0%
Sudan	8	0.0%
El Salvador	8	0.0%
Tanzania	8	0.0%
Algeria	7	0.0%
Lebanon	7	0.0%
Luxembourg	7	0.0%
Singapore	7	0.0%
Azerbaijan	6	0.0%
Kyrgyzstan	6	0.0%
Montenegro	6	0.0%
Malta	6	0.0%
Panama	6	0.0%
Tajikistan	6	0.0%
Burkina Faso	5	0.0%
Côte d'Ivoire	5	0.0%
Jamaica	5	0.0%
Vanuatu	5	0.0%
Armenia	4	0.0%
Bolivia	4	0.0%
Mongolia	4	0.0%
Mozambique	4	0.0%
Sierra Leone	4	0.0%
Uruguay	4	0.0%
Zimbabwe	4	0.0%
Congo, Democratic Republic of	3	0.0%
Guatemala	3	0.0%
Mali	3	0.0%
Chad	3	0.0%
Togo	3	0.0%
Uzbekistan	3	0.0%
Zambia	3	0.0%
Cabo Verde	2	0.0%
Eritrea	2	0.0%
Saint Lucia	2	0.0%
Mauritania	2	0.0%
Namibia	2	0.0%
Nicaragua	2	0.0%
Papua New Guinea	2	0.0%
Countries in former Yugoslavia, unspecified	2	0.0%
Angola	1	0.0%
Barbados	1	0.0%
Bahamas	1	0.0%
Congo, Republic of	1	0.0%
Djibouti	1	0.0%
Equatorial Guinea	1	0.0%
Haiti	1	0.0%
Cambodia	1	0.0%
Laos	1	0.0%
Liberia	1	0.0%
Myanmar	1	0.0%
Mauritius	1	0.0%
Maldives	1	0.0%
Rwanda	1	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	1	0.0%
Solomon Islands	1	0.0%
Seychelles	1	0.0%
Trinidad and Tobago	1	0.0%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Alternatives for people set on Reykjavík

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.

Tallinn as a Reykjavík alternative in another country

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

Basic utilities, 85 m²: €280 Tallinn vs €74 Reykjavík+276%
Rent: €7.33/m² (2008) Tallinn vs €24.29/m² (2026) Reykjavíkno percentage
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,030 Tallinn vs 3,760 Reykjavíkno percentage
Annual PM2.5: 3.0 µg/m³ Tallinn vs 4.0 µg/m³ Reykjavík−25%
A meal out: €15 Tallinn vs €24 Reykjavík−38%

Full comparison More about Tallinn

Alternative cities in Iceland

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

All Iceland cities

Kópavogur40,286 residents Hafnarfjörður32,398 residents Keflavík22,697 residents Reykjanesbaer22,697 residents Gardabaer20,724 residents Akureyrarbaer20,284 residents

How does Reykjavík compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Reykjavík in rankings

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

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Reykjavík 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.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Reykjavikurborg?

The published population was 139,804 people in January 2026. Source: Iceland official denominator source.

How much does it cost to rent in Reykjavikurborg?

Average net cold rent is about 24.29 EUR/m² per month (2026-08), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 1,700 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Leiguverðsjá HMS — Gögn til niðurhals.

Is the air quality good in Reykjavikurborg?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data.

How safe is Reykjavikurborg?

What is the unemployment rate in Reykjavikurborg?

The unemployment rate is about 8.4 % (2021 Census). Source: px.hagstofa.is.

How many foreign residents live in Reykjavík?

30,065 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Iceland official material for foreign population total.

Is Reykjavík a good place to live?

Reykjavík 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.

How many people born in Iceland live in Reykjavík?

The official country of birth distribution records 100,587 people (71.9%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

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). Reykjavík, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 0ffa74b5db6997788ef7c56dd8220b7e]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/reykjavik/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_reykjavik-iceland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_d35b69298750,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Reykjavík, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {0ffa74b5db6997788ef7c56dd8220b7e},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/reykjavik/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Reykjavík, Iceland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/reykjavik/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 0ffa74b5db6997788ef7c56dd8220b7e; 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 2026-10-03
Directorate of Labour — Reykjavik area Directorate of Labour · island.is · checked 2026-09-15
EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Farsími — Síminn mobile plans Farsími · siminn.is · checked 2026-10-09
Iceland official denominator source px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-14
Leiguverðsjá HMS — Gögn til niðurhals Leiguverðsjá HMS · app.powerbi.com · checked 2026-10-07
Meðalleiga lægst en fermetraverð hæst í Reykjavík í febrúar hms.is · checked 2026-10-04
Official public language-service provider/location register island.is · checked 2026-09-15
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03

Show 11 more sources

OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Pricing — Strætó: 30 day pass Pricing · straeto.is · checked 2026-10-09
px.hagstofa.is px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-26
Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-30
Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-30
Statistics Iceland official material for city area km2 hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-18
Statistics Iceland official material for foreign population total px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-18
Statistics Iceland TEK02003 — Taxable wages by economic activity and residence Statistics Iceland TEK02003 · px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-09-23
Lebenshaltungskosten in Reykjavik de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-26
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-26

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.