I’ve enjoyed frolicking around, making the most out of £5 flights but recently I realised that I was eager for a new challenge.
And what better place to flex my money-saving muscles than Iceland?
Renowned for its beauty – and the price tag that comes along with it – I thought it would be the perfect destination to do on a budget. Keep reading for the lowdown on all the Iceland travel costs!
The Cheap Iceland Road Trip Challenge
The challenge (which I do indeed accept) is to get flights, accommodation, 4×4 car hire, petrol, food, drink and activities for a 6 night road trip around Iceland’s ring road for less than £600.
In the first video, we nab flights with Wizz Air for £57.98 each, a 20kg suitcase for £29.50 each (we shared!), 4×4 car hire via Northbound for just £78 per person and our first supermarket shop for £28.50 each.
Total spent so far = £193.98 each
Total left = £406.02 each
Cheap Flights to Iceland
We flew with Wizz Air from London Luton for £57.98 each. Being Wizz Air club members (€29.99 a year for two people) we saved around £15 each but we could have flown for just £55 without the discount (£39 with!) the week prior – alas, the flights didn’t work for James’ work!
Is it worth joining Wizz Air’s discount club?
If you’re planning more than one trip per year with them and travelling with the same person, then yes. They also do a group membership for €59.99 where the member + 5 companions get discounts so if you often travel as a family or social group, it’s definitely worth looking into.
The flight itself was more than fine. Wizz Air has a very similar offering to Ryanair so sure, it’s not luxury, but for the price you really can’t complain.
As we were travelling in the winter, we decided to add on one 20kg suitcase which cost £59 – ouch. However, as well as helping to keep us warm with the numerous jumpers packed inside, it also made financial sense as I was able to pack some food bits and towels that we’d later get charged to hire at the geothermal pools.
Cheap Iceland Car Hire
I usually jump straight onto Skyscanner yet I quickly realised that it wasn’t bringing up any local rental companies. Some googling later, I found Northbound who consistently offered the cheapest prices.
Northbound are a broker, so they’ll scour a whole host of local companies to bring you the best price.
As we were there during some pretty icy weather, we definitely needed a 4×4 and I quickly found a Suzuki Jimmy for just £156 for 6 days. At just £26 a day, I think that’s unreal value!
One tip – if you’re searching from the airport, make sure to change your pickup destination to their local office as this can often save you even more money.
On arriving at Keflavik Airport (that’s Reykjavik’s international airport), we looked out for our name on a board and were greeted by a very friendly fella from Lava Rentals. Two minutes later, we were in their minibus and five minutes after that, at their Keflavik office.
We lucked out being the first to be served at the desk (there were around four people behind me) and five minutes later we were in our car and ready to go.
We were honestly so impressed with speed and efficiency of the people at Lava Rentals and would definitely recommend the whole process!
It is worth saying that I reached out to the folk at Northbound asking for more info after noting their cheap costs, and they gave us a Dacia Duster. Lava Rentals show this model online at £40 a day but I bet you could find it cheaper via Northbound‘s site.
All in all, we saved around £60 by booking with them over Skyscanner. NOT TOO SHABBY PALS!
Iceland Supermarket Costs
Finding cheap flights and a cheap car was simple enough, but I quickly realised that if one thing was going to catch me out, it was going to be the cost of food on the road. So I had to take into account supermarket prices when calculating overall Iceland travel costs.
I knew that we’d be cooking most of our meals but I was nervous about the prices and whilst I’d watched numerous videos about what to expect, I did feel that this area could be my downfall.
So my top tips here are to:
- Make a food plan at home
- Work out what you can bring from home (small packets of salt, pepper, etc.)
- Make a list of everything you need to buy
List in hand, we rocked up to the Netto which was just 400m from the hire car company. The other budget supermarkets are Kronan and Bonus – the latter being undeniably the cheapest – yet as we were fast approaching 9pm, Netto was one of the few places still open.
This is what we ended up buying in our first big shop:
| Item | Quanitity | ISK | GBP |
| Beef mince | 500g | 936 | £5.99 |
| Bags | 1 | 40 | £0.26 |
| Tortellini pasta | 1 pack | 498 | £3.19 |
| Frozen pizza | 575g | 679 | £4.35 |
| Semi skimmed milk | 1 litre | 182 | £1.16 |
| Orange juice | 1.5 litre | 299 | £1.91 |
| Heinz baked beans | 400g can | 99 | £0.63 |
| Heinz baked beans | 400g can | 99 | £0.63 |
| Red kidney beans in chilli | 400g can | 189 | £1.21 |
| Fusili pasta | 500g | 199 | £1.27 |
| Schwepps tonic | 2 litre | 339 | £2.17 |
| Ham | 1 pack (6 slices) | 309 | £1.98 |
| Sour cream and onion crisps | 165g pack | 230 | £1.47 |
| Spring onion | Bunch | 205 | £1.31 |
| Iceberg lettuce | Half (220kg) | 94 | £0.60 |
| Bread | 1 loaf 820g | 479 | £3.07 |
| Coca cola | 1 litre | 239 | £1.53 |
| Salad tomatoes | 365kg | 127 | £0.81 |
| Carrots | 500g | 389 | £2.49 |
| Onions | 635g | 98 | £0.63 |
| Potaotes | 1.15kg | 277 | £1.77 |
| Strawberries | 250g | 579 | £3.71 |
| Chopped tomatoes | 400g can | 179 | £1.15 |
| Chopped tomatoes | 400g can | 179 | £1.15 |
| Red pepper | 200g | 96 | £0.61 |
| Mystery item I can’t remember | N/A | 156 | £1.00 |
| Bananas | 4 (740g) | 181 | £1.16 |
| Leek | 1 (400g) | 144 | £0.92 |
| Lemon | (1) 190g | 64 | £0.41 |
| Lime | (1) 95g | 46 | £0.29 |
| Lime | (1) 90g | 43 | £0.28 |
| Skyr yoghurt | 500g | 277 | £1.77 |
| Butter | 400g | 459 | £2.94 |
| Eggs | 10 pack | 498 | £3.19 |
| TOTALS | . | 8907 | £57.00 |
Overall, I was super pleased by how affordable most things were. Yes, a little pricier than normal but no where near as bad as I had built it up in my head! I also could not believe that Heinz baked beans were cheaper there than in the UK – MADNESS!!!
However, the list definitely helped and I found this particular Netto (this one!) had a really good range of items. Everything I looked for, I found!
Catch up on the rest of the road trip!
Day 1 – you’re reading this now!
Day 2 – The Golden Circle and staying in a luxury, designer home for £27 a night
Day 3 – Waterfalls, glaciers and black sand beaches on Iceland’s stunning south coast
Day 4 – Escaping the tourists on Iceland’s beautiful Eastern coastal roads
Iceland Travel Costs
Although Iceland has a reputation for being slightly on the more expensive side, planning ahead and discovering how much you’ll be expected to spend will keep you on top of your budget!
Now you have all the Iceland travel costs; get planning your next trip!
