joellebohringerAre you wondering what a realistic Iceland trip budget looks like? Many pages talk about how Iceland is an expensive country to visit, but few blogs go over the details of exactly how much an Iceland trip costs.
When planning our recent Iceland trip, I was also confused on exactly how much money to reserve. Luckily, I kept detailed notes of every cost incurred on our January 2024 trip to Iceland so that I could share the costs with you.
Notes about Iceland Trip Budget
The budget detailed in this post directly follow our 6 Day Iceland Winter Itinerary during January 2024. We are relatively budget travelers, and travelled in Iceland using a rental car and staying at mid-range hotels and guesthouses. We often chose to cook for ourselves or eat small lunches and snacks from grocery stores.
For more tips about travelling on a budget in Iceland, check out our tips for travelling Iceland on a budget.
Initial Iceland Trip Costs
Our initial Iceland costs include car rental for our whole trip. They also include health insurance and sim cards, which we buy for every trip that we take.
| 6 Day 4×4 SUV rental from Go Car Rental | $271.66 |
| Travel Insurance for 2 (we use EKTA) | $36 |
| 2, 5 GB sim cards from Airalo (Use the code JOELLE0025 to receive $3 off your first Esim from Airalo) | $28 |
Day One – Iceland Trip Costs
Day one in Iceland includes exploring the capital city of Reykjavik.
| Parking in Reykjavik | $13.52 |
| Dinner: Hotdogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur | $19.82 |
| Groceries at Kronen Grocery Store | $51.02 |
| Admission to Iceland Phallological Museum | $42.70 |
| Overnight at Thingholt by Center Hotels | $214.16 |
Day Two- Iceland Trip Costs
Day Two is based around exploring the natural sites in Iceland’s Golden Circle.
| Breakfast: At hotel | Free |
| Parking at Thingvellir National Park | $6.53 |
| Lunch: from groceries purchased the previous day | Free |
| Groceries, for dinner at our self-catering accommodation | $42.32 |
| Gasoline | $74.33 |
| Overnight at Minniborgir Cabins | $166.27 |
Day Three – Iceland Trip Costs
Day three includes a drive to Iceland’s Southern Coast to see waterfalls, beaches, and abandoned plane wrecks.
| Breakfast: From groceries purchased in previous days | Free |
| Parking at Seljalandsfoss | $6.53 |
| Lunch: From groceries purchased in previous days | Free |
| Shuttle to Solheimasandur Plane Wreck | $42.32 |
| Snacks at Convenience Store | $5.69 |
| Dinner at Hotel Katla | $86.24 |
| Overnight at Hotel Katla | $146 |
Day Four – Iceland Trip Costs
Day Four is based around visiting the Vatnajokull Glacier and its surronding attractions.
| Breakfast: At hotel | Free |
| Gasoline | $54.44 |
| Parking at Skaftafell | $6.53 |
| Additional Parking hours | $3.27 |
| Lunch: Hot dogs at glacier Welcome Center | $9.97 |
| Ice Cave Tour at Vatnajokull Glacier | $306 |
| Dinner at Guesthouse Nypugardar | $38.37 |
| Overnight at Guesthouse Nypugardar | $107 |
Day Five – Iceland Trip Costs
On Day Five, we explored the viking village near Hofn and began driving back to Vik.
| Breakfast: At hotel | Free |
| Access to Viking Village | $14.24 |
| Hot Chocolate | $6.41 |
| Lunch: From groceries purchased in previous days | Free |
| Parking at National Park | $6.53 |
| Electric Charging for Hybrid car | $2.49 |
| Gasoline | $73.23 |
| Dinner at gas station | $33.46 |
| Candies and snacks to bring home | $30.87 |
| Overnight at Hotel Kvika | $94 |
Day Six – Iceland Trip Costs
On Day Six, we returned to Reykjavik to catch our flight home!
| Breakfast: At hotel | Free |
| Gasoline | $67.63 |
| Tickets to Blue Lagoon (it ended up being closed, so we got refunded) | $145.93 |
| Lunch at airport | $33.44 |
Total Iceland Trip Costs
The total for our two-person trip (excluding airfare) was $2,286.92, or $1143.46 per person on a 2 person sharing basis.
If I had travelled alone, driven the same amount, and stayed at the same hotels, it would have cost $1796.01 for a solo traveller.
Obviously, not every trip will cost this much or this little. Variables, such as the time of travel or personal travel style, will result in different prices. However, I hope that this gives you a good idea on Iceland trip costs while on a budget.
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