Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athlone
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,542
/mo nomad
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athlone and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $1,775 in Athens.

  • Athlone $2,542
  • Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $2,721 in Athens.

  • Athlone $3,749
  • Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $3,666 in Athens.

  • Athlone $4,956
  • Athens $3,666

Living in Athlone is roughly 43% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Athens 31% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.37 €19.90
$16.69 €14.84
34.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.0 €80.9
$67.8 €60.3
34.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.63 €11.23
$11.14 €9.91
13.38%
Cappuccino
$4.32 €3.84
$4.03 €3.58
7.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 €2.60
$2.77 €2.46
5.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.64
$0.55 €0.49
234.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.41 €6.59
$5.74 €5.10
29.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 €5.82
$5.45 €4.84
20.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.82 €1.62
-19.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.38 €1.23
-8.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 €1.48
$2.80 €2.49
-40.71%
Eggs
$3.91 €3.48
$4.83 €4.30
-19.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.73 €9.55
$15.05 €13.39
-28.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.27 €10.02
$10.63 €9.45
6.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.85 €10.53
$18.43 €16.39
-35.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$2.20 €1.96
15.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 €1.39
$1.90 €1.69
-17.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 €2.14
$1.37 €1.22
75.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.85 €2.53
$2.10 €1.87
35.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.29 €2.03
$1.08 €0.96
112.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 €1.61
$1.12 €1.00
61.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.12 €1.00
28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$0.88 €0.79
115.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.88 €15.90
$5.48 €4.88
226.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.10 €9.87
$10.13 €9.01
9.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.44 €3.06
$2.13 €1.89
61.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 €3.18
$2.25 €2.00
59.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Athlone
Athens
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.36 €1.21
51.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$29.89 €26.59
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.08 €4.52
$4.45 €3.96
14.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.02 €0.90
46.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.77 €24.70
$16.92 €15.05
64.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.80
$2.25 €2.00
-9.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.6K €35.2K
$28.0K €24.9K
41.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.8K €32.7K
$28.2K €25.1K
30.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$241 €214
$205 €182
17.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.86 €19.45
$26.65 €23.70
-17.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.22 €43.78
$30.38 €27.02
62.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.5 €52.1
$54.5 €48.46
7.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.69 €30.85
$25.88 €23.02
34.04%
Cinema Ticket
$10.95 €9.74
$10.42 €9.27
5.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,001 €891
$569 €506
75.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,365 €4,772
$12.6K €11.2K
-57.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 €82.6
$88.7 €78.9
4.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.88 €36.36
$40.46 €35.99
1.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.6 €74.4
$105 €93.3
-20.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.7 €69.1
$121 €108
-35.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athlone
Athens
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,468 €1,306
$741 €659
98.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,353 €1,203
$655 €582
106.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,529 €2,249
$1,300 €1,156
94.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,254 €2,005
$1,148 €1,021
96.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,294 €2,930
$4,014 €3,570
-17.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,340 €2,971
$3,460 €3,078
-3.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athlone
Athens
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,153 €2,804
$1,242 €1,105
153.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.73
4.48
-16.74%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athlone
$1.4K
Athens
$655 51.6% $698
Eating Out
Athlone
$338
Athens
$268 20.7% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
$312
Athens
$262 16.1% $50
Groceries & Markets
Athlone
$305
Athens
$310 1.7% $5.3
Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
$133
Athens
$160 20.4% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
$80
Athens
$75 6.3% $5.1
Getting Around
Athlone
$21 *
Athens
$45 116% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,468 in Athlone and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 154% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $310, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Athlone
🇬🇷 Athens
🕒 Local time
12:28 12:28 PM
14:28 2:28 PM
2 h ahead of Athlone
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,000
3,090,508 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athlone Athens 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Athlone
  • Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Athlone vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athlone or Athens?
Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athlone or in Athens?
Average pay runs 154% higher in Athlone, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athlone compared to Athens?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,468 in Athlone versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Athlone and in Athens?
Childcare runs $1,001 in Athlone versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Athlone and in Athens?
Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $91.0 in Athlone. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Athlone or in Athens?
At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athlone or Athens?
Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.
How safe is Athlone compared to Athens?
Safety-wise, Athlone and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Athlone vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?