The 50 km journey from Keflavik to Reykjavik is long enough that your transport choice matters — for both your wallet and your comfort level after a flight.
Taxi: the unplanned option
Taxis at Keflavik are licensed, metered, and safe. They wait at the designated stand outside arrivals. No negotiation needed — the meter runs and you pay what it shows.
There is no fixed airport fare. Hreyfill, Iceland's largest taxi cooperative, publishes its tariff, and from 18 March 2026 a four-passenger car starts at ISK 880 and charges ISK 477 per km for the first 4 km and ISK 364 per km after that (ISK 452 at night and at weekends), plus a ISK 490 fee on trips starting at Keflavik Airport. Over 50 km that comes to roughly ISK 20,000 in weekday daytime hours and about ISK 24,500 at night or at weekends — about EUR 140–170 at the European Central Bank's 15 July 2026 reference rate — before any waiting time. Hreyfill also sells a fixed-price airport transfer from ISK 22,500. This is the most expensive per-person option for solo travelers and couples; split four ways it lands nearer EUR 35–45 each. Tariffs are revised regularly, so check the current one before you travel.
Taxis are available most of the time, but after multiple simultaneous flight arrivals, the queue can be long. Late at night, fewer taxis operate. You cannot use Uber or Bolt in Iceland — they do not exist here.
Pre-booked transfer: the planned option
A private transfer means a driver meets you at arrivals, helps with luggage, and drives you directly to your address. No meter anxiety, no waiting in queue. The price is agreed at booking.
It is priced per vehicle rather than per seat, and the figure depends on vehicle size, distance, season and how far outside Reykjavik you are heading — so there is no single published rate to quote, and the only number that means anything is the quote for your actual address and party size. What you are buying is price certainty before you fly.
The key advantage beyond that certainty is flexibility — transfers go to any address, including locations outside Reykjavik. Many also offer Blue Lagoon stops. Try asking a taxi to wait at the Blue Lagoon for two hours; it will not go well.
The comparison that matters
| Factor | Taxi | Pre-booked transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Price basis | Metered on the city tariff | Per vehicle, fixed at booking |
| Price known before you fly | No | Yes |
| Booking needed | No | Yes |
| Wait time | Possible queue | No wait |
| Luggage help | Variable | Standard |
| Child seats | Unlikely | On request |
| Blue Lagoon stop | Not practical | Available |
| Late night | Limited availability | Guaranteed if booked |
Fixed-price private transfer
KEF Reykjavik City Center
From€179for 2 passengers
Other destinations
When each wins
Taxi wins if: You did not book anything, you are in a group, and there is a taxi available right now. It is the spontaneous option.
Transfer wins if: You want certainty, you are traveling with family, you need a child seat, you want a Blue Lagoon stop, or you are heading somewhere outside central Reykjavik. It also wins for peace of mind — knowing someone is waiting for you after a long transatlantic flight is worth something.
The overlooked options
Do not forget the coaches. The Flybus runs to the BSÍ terminal for ISK 3,999 (ISK 5,299 with hotel drop-off) and leaves about 40 minutes after each plane lands. Cheaper still, and genuinely overlooked, is the Strætó public bus: route 55 costs ISK 2,400 to Reykjavik and children 11 and under ride free. Both beat a taxi or a transfer on pure price for one or two people. The trade-off is shared transport and fixed drop-off points — and with route 55, a timetable that ignores your flight and a boarding stop away from the terminal door. For budget-conscious solo travelers, they are hard to beat.