>> That's no excuse. Burgers in Fiji cost a quarter of that, and everything is shipped in from far further than it does to Iceland.
Does the nation subsidize costs? I went to a couple of countries where staples were remarkably inexpensive and later learned that most of them were subsidized by the national government.
Nope, not at all. BUT on further thought, beef at a local burger joint is locally produced. Everything else (wheat, cheese, onions, tomato, lettuce, sauces, etc) is usually imported.
Of course at McDonalds and Burger King, everything is imported and they cost about the same (or less) than what a burger costs at a local joint.
I believe Iceland also generates its own electricity from geothermal energy.
Import is super cheap unless it's something perishable like fresh fish and salad and needs to come over via plane. Local delivery normally costs much more.
In NZ right now a kilo of tomatoes is on par with one kilo of chicken.
Does the nation subsidize costs? I went to a couple of countries where staples were remarkably inexpensive and later learned that most of them were subsidized by the national government.