Living in Iceland

The price level of Iceland can be fairly high depending on where you come from. Make sure you have enough financial means to pay your rent, personal expenses, transportation costs, meals etc.

You should make sure that you make arrangements for adequate funding for your entire period of study before leaving your home country. However, as a student, you have access to several student benefits, which can make your life a little easier!

Cost of living

All students have to pay for their accommodation and living expenses as well as their books and other study materials.

For a more detailed impression of living costs in Iceland, we suggest you visit Numbeo. Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database, where people from all over the world have shared the costs of living in different countries. It can give you some idea of the cost of living in Iceland.

Stu­dent Union fee

Student union membership is voluntary. Membership is free of charge up to 15 September. After this time, a 5,000 ISK registration fee must be paid.

More information on the student union membership fee and the benefits and services is available on the website of the Student Union at the University of Akureyri.

Discounts for students in SHA

Students in SHA (Union of Students at the University of Akureyri) can receive a discount if they show their student identity card with the sticker for the respective academic year. Students can get stickers at the University’s Service Desk and the SHA office.

See the SHA discounts for this academic year.

SmartKey

Students receive their SmartKey for 2,000 ISK (return fee is 1,500 ISK). More information here.

The card serves all of the following purposes:

  • Access to the printing system
  • Access for the premises of UNAK
  • Access to the gym

Further information