Bonus grocery store – shopping guide

Holidays in Iceland are definitely an unforgettable experience, but as many tourists have come to know first hand, it comes at a high cost. One of the first questions tourists ask when arriving in the country is: “Why is Iceland so expensive?”.

The right question is: “How can you save money in Iceland?” One solution may be the Bonus grocery store, with the best prices for shopping groceries in Iceland.

Spending on food can greatly increase your holiday expenses while vacationing in Iceland, but you can save a lot of money on smart shopping and eating.

The basis is to find the cheapest supermarket in Iceland and that is the Bonus grocery store.

Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Budget

If you are trying to save money on your trip to Iceland, you will have to forgive restaurant visits, because dinner in Iceland in restaurants is definitely not one of the cheapest.

It can often be cheaper to pay for slightly more expensive accommodation (especially if you travel in groups) and rent accommodation where you can cook. In every major city, you will come across a grocery store where you can buy ingredients and cook your own dinner much cheaper.

Camping is ideal in this case, if you want something more comfortable, you can book some of the summer houses, cottages or cottages, which usually offer a basic place where you can cook.

If you are interested in this idea, let me introduce one of the most popular supermarkets where you can buy food for almost your entire trip to Iceland with the best prices.

The Bonus grocery store is one of the most popular supermarkets in Iceland (because of low prices), both for tourists and locals. There are 31 branches of this store in Iceland, the largest number is in western and southern Iceland.

Each of the stores is very similarly organized, so if you understand how the products are arranged in one store, you will not get lost in the other.

Before we get to what to buy in Bonus and what are the best products on offer, I have to warn you. You can’t buy alcohol in the Bonus supermarket, even though you can find beer on the menu.

However, this is only a low-alcohol beer with a value of 2.25%, so if you want to buy “real” alcohol, you have to go to the liqour store Vinbudin (read this article on where to buy alcohol in Iceland).

What to buy at Bonus Iceland – best things to buy

Each of the Bonus stores in Iceland offers a selection of products from a variety of categories. At the entrance you will almost always find a department of pastries, coffee, tea and juices.

You can choose from several types of pastries, there is a typical toast bread, burger buns or hot dog pastries. If you shop in the morning, it is also possible to choose from the baker’s menu, which, however, decreases during the day.

Most tourists will probably head to the next part of the Bonus when shopping, which is the first walk-in fridge with fruit, vegetables and salads. Here you will find basic foods such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, potatoes, etc.

In the fruit section you can then stock up on apples, bananas, pears, oranges and other fruits. If you’re shopping on a tight budget, don’t rush them and see which package is the cheapest. Unpackaged vegetables and fruits can often be much cheaper than packaged products.

From the fruit and vegetable section, you will reach the second walk-in fridge, where you will usually find dairy and meat products and almost everything you need when cooking in your accommodation.

The Bonus, like other grocery stores, offers several types of milk. In addition to lactose-free milk, you will also find almond milk, coconut milk or, for example Cocoa milk, which is very popular among Icelanders.

If you are interested in what to buy in this Bonus department, I would definitely recommend trying Skyr icelandic yogurt, milk, blue cheese packaging (Samlokostur), eggs and if you are a fan of sandwiches then ham or salami.

In this department you will find a number of ready meals that can serve you as lunch. Among the cheapest are plokkfiskur, a typical Icelandic stew.

You will also find many prepared salads here, but you can cook almost everything you find here at a much lower cost (a good example is the mentioned plokkfiskur).

You can immediately buy everything you need in the walk-in fridge, you can choose from shelves and counters in several rows.

At the end of the shop you will usually find snacks and drinks, in the department you will find healthy products (such as gluten-free foods), in other rice, pasta, canned food and other products that are definitely suitable for cooking.

The last compartment is then intended more for baking and contains sweet foods, such as dried fruits, peanut butter, chocolates, etc.

Most often in the middle of the store you will find several large freezers, where you can buy everything you need from fish, frozen meat, cheap pizzas to ice cream.

Prices in Bonus Iceland – list of most buying products

Bakery

Toast bread – 350 ISK/ 2,7 USD/ 2,5 EUR
Hot dog buns 5pcs – 260 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Burger buns 2pcs – 150 ISK/ 1,1 USD/ 1 EUR

Milk products

Eggs 12 pcs -750 ISK/ 5,6 USD/ 5,2 EUR
Skyr jogurt 500g – 500 ISK/ 3,8 USD/ 3,6 EUR
Cheese 500 g- 1300 ISK/ 10 USD/ 9 EUR
Milk 500 ml- 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR

Meat products

Tuna in can – 300 ISK/ 2,2 USD/ 2 EUR
Chicken breast 0,5 kg- 1200 ISK/ 9,2 USD/ 8,7 EUR
Ham 250g – 650 ISK/ 5 USD/ 4,7 EUR
Pepperoni 200g – 600 ISK/ 4,5 USD/4,2 EUR
Hot dog sausages 10pcs – 650 ISK/ 5 USD/ 4,7 EUR

Cheap foods

Beans in can – 100 ISK/ 0,8 USD/ 0,7 EUR
Easy noodles – 100 ISK/ 0,8 USD/ 0,7 EUR
Rice 500g – 650 ISK/ 5 USD/ 4,7 EUR
Pasta 500g – 550 ISK/ 4,2USD/ 4 EUR
Spaghetti 500g – 350 ISK/ 2,7 USD/ 2,5 EUR
Peanut butter – 550 ISK/ 4,2USD/ 4 EUR
Jar of jam – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Frozen pizza – 500 ISK/ 3,8 USD/ 3,6 EUR
Oats 700g- 350 ISK/ 2,7 USD/ 2,5 EUR
Can of diced tomatoes – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Can of chickpeas – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Granola – 450 ISK/ 3,5 USD/ 3,3 EUR
Cornflakes – 500 ISK/ 3,8 USD/ 3,6 EUR
Mixed nuts 200g – 350 ISK/ 2,7 USD/ 2,5 EUR

Vegetables

Tomatoes 4 pcs- 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Cucumber – 220 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Bell pepper -1 pc – 100 ISK/ 0,8 USD/ 0,7 EUR
Carrot 500g – 300 ISK/ 2,2 USD/ 2 EUR
Frozen vegetables – 500 ISK/ 3,8 USD/ 3,6 EUR
Can of corn – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Lettuce – 400 ISK/3 USD/ 2,9 EUR

Fruits

Bananas 4 pcs – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Apples 4 pcs – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Pears 4 pcs – 300 ISK/ 2,2 USD/ 2 EUR
Can of pineapple – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR

Snacks

Doritos – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Pringless – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Lays – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Chocolate – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Cinnamon Biscuits 250 g – 500 ISK/ 3,8 USD/ 3,6 EUR

Drinks

Bottle of water 0,5 l – 150 ISK/ 1,1 USD/ 1 EUR
Coca cola 2 l – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Redbull – 200 ISK/ 1,6 USD/ 1,4 EUR
Tea 25 packs – 250 ISK/ 2 USD/ 1,9 EUR
Grained coffee 500 g – 700 ISK/ 5,2 USD/ 5 EUR

Grocery stores Bonus in Reykjavik

You will find 18 branches in Reykjavik out of 31 throughout Iceland. In this overview you will find a list of all grocery stores Bonus in Reykjavik with opening hours and directions how to get there.

Bonus Fiskislóð

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Bjarkarholt

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Garðatorg

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Helluhraun

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Holtagarðar

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Hraunbær

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Kauptún

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Laugavegur

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Kringlan

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Lóuhólar

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Nýbýlavegur

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Ögurhvarf

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Skeifan

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Skipholt

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Skútuvogur

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Open daily from 11:00 – 19:00, Friday and weekend from 10:00-19:00

Bonus Smáratorg

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Spöngin

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Bonus Tjarnarvellir

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Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00

Grocery stores Bonus in Iceland (with locations)

Apart from Reykjavík, there are 13 other branches of this supermarket in Iceland. You can find two of them in Keflavík and almost all the others are in the western part of the island. In this list you can go through all the branches and find the one closest to your accommodation or during your trip to Iceland.