Average Physical Scientist Salary in Reykjavik, Iceland for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Physical Scientist salary for 2026 in Reykjavik and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Icelandic króna. To keep things simple, we are using the ISK currency code instead of the currency symbol kr.

How Much Does a Physical Scientist Make in Reykjavik?

A Physical Scientist working in Reykjavik will typically earn around 14,760,200 ISK per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 6,791,800 ISK to the highest average salary of 23,520,800 ISK.

These are average salaries for a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Physical Scientist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Physical Scientist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Physical Scientist Salaries in Reykjavik

So we've looked at the average salaries a Physical Scientist will earn in Reykjavik. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Physical Scientist can earn between 6,791,800 ISK and 23,520,800 ISK on average in Reykjavik. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik is 15,960,700 ISK. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 15,960,700 ISK, and 50% of the population earn more than 15,960,700 ISK.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Physical Scientist salary in Reykjavik, 25% of the population are earning less than 10,237,100 ISK while 75% of the population earn more than 10,237,100 ISK.

75% of the population earn less than 21,241,100 ISK, and 25% of the population earn more than 21,241,100 ISK.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

Physical Scientist Salary by Experience Level in Reykjavik

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Physical Scientist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

• 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Physical Scientist in Reykjavik that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 7,715,800 ISK.
• 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Physical Scientist salary would increase to 10,297,600 ISK.
• 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Physical Scientist, the average salary would be 15,238,200 ISK.
• 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 18,598,500 ISK.
• 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Physical Scientist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 20,281,100 ISK.
• 20+ Years Experience. For a Physical Scientist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 21,841,900 ISK.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

Physical Scientist Salary by Education Level in Reykjavik

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

• Bachelor's Degree. A Physical Scientist in Reykjavik with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 8,795,700 ISK.
• Master's Degree. A Physical Scientist in Reykjavik with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 13,798,900 ISK.
• PhD. A Physical Scientist in Reykjavik with a phd education can earn an average salary of 23,159,200 ISK.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Physical Scientist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Reykjavik, a male physical scientist will earn an average of 12,958,200 ISK, while a female physical scientist will earn around 12,361,500 ISK.

This means that a male physical scientist earns approximately 5% more than a female physical scientist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Reykjavik

Physical Scientist Average Pay Raise in Reykjavik

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik is around 8% every 30 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Iceland is around 4% every 29 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 8 ÷ 30 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 3% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Reykjavik for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Iceland.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Physical Scientist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Reykjavik

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Physical Scientist is a low bonus based job, with 43% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

57% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Iceland earn approximately 25% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Physical Scientist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Physical Scientist in Reykjavik.