Is Iceland expensive to visit? Yes, Iceland is one of the most expensive locations in Europe. A dinner in a restaurant is expensive at between €18-25, a hostel bed costs €35-45 each, and a single beer will cost €9 -11. However, this is the reality that no one talks about: the most enjoyable experiences in Iceland are absolutely free. All the waterfalls, black sand beaches, glacier views, and Northern lights are all free.
We make travelling through Iceland at Low Cost Vibes cheap by providing low-cost flight tickets so that there is no need to spend a lot on a flight, and rather channel the money towards the adventure.
Is Iceland Expensive to Visit? Budget Tips and Expense Guide
The Real Costs You’ll Face
Is Iceland expensive to visit when you break down actual numbers? And speaking truth about what you will pay:
Accommodation: Hotels are at a cost of between €180-280 a night. Hostels run €35-50 per bed. Guesthouses charge €70-120 per room. Camping is only between €13-18 per person- it is in this area that smart travellers make hundreds of savings.
Food: The dinners in the restaurants are between €25 and €40. Home-cooked meals cost around €40-50 a week as opposed to eating out, which costs around €250 and above. A loaf of bread is priced between €2-3, pasta between €1- 2, eggs between €3-4. Prepare your food yourself and save on food expenses by 70%.
Transportation: Riordan automobiles are priced between €60 and 100 a day, and €2 per litre in petrol. Divided among four travellers? Then it will be 125-200 per person per week, and it will be possible to afford. Bus lapses in the Ring Road are between 200-300 per week. The buses in Reykjavik city cost €4 per way.
Activities: Iceland has many iconic sites, which are free. Golden Circle tours, waterfalls such as Gullfoss and Skogafoss, black sand beaches, glacier lagoons- free. Nothing costs like Northern Lights.
By booking Iceland holidays via Low Cost Vibes, you are beginning with the most intelligent saving plan of reasonable flight costs that leave you with additional money to enjoy.
The Next Generation: How to Spend Less and Get More
Is Iceland expensive to visit if you’re strategic? Not necessarily. Here are proven money-savers:
Camp instead of hotels: Full facilities campsites cost between €13-18, compared to 180 and above in hotels. Purchase a camping card at a cost of €180 for unrestricted entry at participating sites. You’ll save €800-1,000 on a week-long trip.
Cook your own meals: Visit Kronan, Netto or Bonus supermarkets. Make breakfast and dinner at the accommodation, and make lunches. Daily food costs from €60-80 to €15-25.
Travel in shoulder season: Go in April-May or September-October. The price of accommodation is 30-40 per cent cheaper than in summer, there is a smaller number of crowds, and you will be able to use most of the attractions. Low Cost Vibes provides great prices at such times.
Share transportation costs: Get a car and rent it with three or four travellers and divide it all. Carpooling organisations that accept individual persons could be located on the hostel bulletin boards or on online travel forums.
Skip expensive tours: The majority of the activities are available under an independent tour. Northern lights hunting, driving around the Golden Circle, sightseeing in waterfalls – all these do not require spending €60-90 per person on tours.
Carry refillable water bottles: The Icelandic tap water is extraordinary. Never buy bottled water. Free and higher quality than the majority of the bottled ones.
Top Free Things to do in Iceland
This is where Iceland’s expense to visit gets interesting – the best parts cost nothing:
Waterfalls: Gullfoss, Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Dettifoss – all of them free, with free parking. Waterfall-hopping at no cost to spend all day.
The Golden Circle: The Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss waterfall. The most iconic track in Iceland has no entry fees.
Black Sand Beaches: Reynisfjara basalt columns and huge waves. Icebergs washing on Diamond Beach. Completely free.
Jökulsarloon glaciers: Views are amazing on shore at Jökulsárlón. Free iceberg photography with your camera, taking hours of photographs.
Northern Lights: Sideload aurora alarms, park your car beyond Reykjavik and witness the light spectacle of nature on the highest level at a completely free price all winter long.
Reykjavik Walking: The colourful downtown, the exterior of the Hallgrimskirkja church, the harbour, the Sun Voyager statue, everything is free to visit.
Puffin Watching: Visit coastal cliffs and puffin colonies during summer for an incredible wildlife experience. Completely free and unforgettable, see more in watching puffins in Iceland guide.
One Week Budget Breakdown
Can you do Iceland on a budget? Absolutely. The following is a realistic budget for the week:
Accommodation (camping): €90-125 (€13-18 x 7 nights)
Food (cooking yourself): €50-70
Car rental (split 4 ways): €125-175
Petrol (split 4 ways): €50-75
One or two paid activities: €80-120
Miscellaneous: €30-50
Total: €425-615 per person for one week
This is compared to staying in the hotels, eating in restaurants and taking several tours at a price of around €1,200- 1,800. This will save you on a strategic decision of as much as €800-1,200 without compromising on experiences.
Low Cost Vibes will make you begin this budget off on the right foot by finding low Iceland flight fares that will not empty half your travelling budget before you have even stepped off the flight.
When to Visit for Best Value
The answer to the question Is Iceland expensive to visit, changes with seasons:
Summer (June-August): High prices, but midnight sun, warmest weather, and all roads open. July-August should be avoided by budget travellers.
Shoulder Season (April-May, September-October): Prices are 30-40% lower, a smaller number of tourists, and the weather is good. September presents opportunities for Northern Lights. Best value period.
Winter (November-March): The cheapest place to stay, flights but difficult weather, daylight, and possible closed road conditions. Only experienced winter travellers. See our detailed guide to Iceland in Winter.
Shoulder seasons are the best time to book Iceland holidays with Low Cost Vibes, so that you can enjoy maximum savings on the flights and ground costs. The number of tourists and the demand seasons are not simply a guesswork, as the official data of visitor flows, overnights, and accommodation patterns is presented by Statistics Iceland. That is why they decrease the prices during shoulder seasons and in winter, and why, by planning your trip with these trends on your mind, you will be able to save hundreds.
Making Iceland Affordable
So, is Iceland expensive to visit? It may be whether you are thinking like an ordinary tourist planning a holiday to Iceland. However, Iceland can be explored by budget travellers who camp, cook, shoulder season travellers who prefer free natural attractions and costs can be as low as Euro 50-80 a day.
The secret is starting smart. Low Cost Vibes has competitive Iceland fares, leaving a larger budget for the real trip. Our offers imply that you do not spend five out of ten dollars to get there.
Iceland does not favour the budget. The waterfalls splash down as much when you spend €200 on the dinner table as when you spend €5 on the pasta eaten in the supermarket. The Northern Lights dance equally brightly on the campers and the luxury hotel guests. The glaciers do not know whether you had an extreme tour or drove yourself.
Is Iceland expensive to visit? Of course, but it can be done with a reasonable budget provided you make wise decisions. And such decisions begin with making cheap flights on Low Cost Vibes. We will take care of transportation at the most affordable prices – you will create memorable experiences in one of the most amazing places on the planet.
FAQs : Is Iceland Expensive to Visit
Budget travellers will be able to afford to spend between €50-80 per day through camping (€13-18), preparing their own food (€15-25 per day on grocery items), sharing car expenses, and doing free activities. This is accommodation, food, and transportation. The inclusion of restaurant meals or paid activities every now and then makes it stretch between the range of €80-100 a day.
The months of November through March have the cheapest flight and accommodation rates, with occasional half-price of summer. But you will have the short days and the hard weather. September and October offer the most favourable value discount, 30 per cent lower than that of summer and has better weather conditions compared to winter and chances of Northern Lights.
Absolutely. Buy it in the Bonus, Kronan, or Netto supermarkets and prepare your own food. You will save on food at restaurants, which costs you €200-300 a week compared to spending it in the grocery store, which is between 40-50. The majority of hostels and campsites have common kitchens. Hot dogs in Iceland are cheap at between €4-5 when eating out.
Yes, in case you are travelling with 3-4 people sharing expenses. In terms of total rental, it will cost a week with petrol in the range of 500-800 euros, and per person in the range of 125-200 euros. Single travellers can buy bus passes ( €200-300) or become members of car-sharing organisations. Cars are a means of flexibility and accessibility to free attractions, constituting the highlights of Iceland.
The best free attractions in Iceland include the Gullfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls, the black sand beach at Reynisfjara, the whole Golden Circle route, the views of the glacier lagoon Jökulsarlo at the shore, the Northern Lights observation, and the numerous hiking paths. You can visit the most amazing things in Iceland in a span of a week and not spend a single entry fee.
