Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,109 in Athlone versus $2,320 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,096 in Athlone versus $3,426 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,083 in Athlone versus $4,532 in Barcelona.

Living in Athlone is roughly 34% more expensive than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 133% above, Barcelona 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €17.89

$17.66 €15.43

15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 €82.8

$69.7 €60.9

36.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 €9.02

$14.16 €12.37

-27.05%

Cappuccino

$4.76 €4.16

$2.80 €2.45

70.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$2.81 €2.46

-10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.91

$2.06 €1.80

6.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 €6.11

$4.60 €4.02

51.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.80

$4.69 €4.10

41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.15

$1.23 €1.07

7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.20

$2.03 €1.78

-32.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.59

$1.98 €1.73

-8.08%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.42

$3.49 €3.05

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.00

$18.33 €16.01

-37.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 €10.14

$9.83 €8.59

18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 €10.84

$19.13 €16.71

-35.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.40

$2.73 €2.38

0.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.33

$2.38 €2.08

-36.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.17

$2.08 €1.82

19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.35

$2.75 €2.41

-2.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.36

$1.96 €1.71

37.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.79

$1.79 €1.57

14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.48 €1.29

14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.72

$0.91 €0.80

116.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.00 €17.48

$7.13 €6.23

180.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.42 €9.98

$7.88 €6.88

44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.04

$1.38 €1.20

152.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.34

$2.39 €2.09

59.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.65

$3.01 €2.63

-37.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 €85.0

$29.35 €25.65

231.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.68

$4.36 €3.81

22.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 €2.43

$2.13 €1.86

30.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 €25.69

$29.60 €25.86

-0.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.81

$1.82 €1.59

13.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$43.3K €37.8K

$37.9K €33.1K

14.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.3K €34.3K

$32.4K €28.3K

21.40%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$245 €214

$189 €165

29.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.81 €19.05

$22.29 €19.48

-2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.33 €41.36

$37.16 €32.47

27.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €52.8

$58.0 €50.7

4.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.30

$20.66 €18.05

-15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 €12.20

$10.87 €9.50

28.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,345 €1,175

$706 €617

90.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,253 €6,337

$14.9K €13.0K

-51.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €90.6

$89.4 €78.2

15.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.85 €37.44

$36.60 €31.98

17.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 €78.5

$104 €90.9

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €68.8

$119 €104

-34.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 €1,290

$1,579 €1,379

-6.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 €1,558

$1,238 €1,082

44.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,165

$2,712 €2,370

-8.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,189 €1,913

$2,039 €1,782

7.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,023

$7,527 €6,576

-54.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,418 €2,986

$5,239 €4,577

-34.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,974 €2,598

$2,364 €2,065

25.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

3.39

35.69%

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

Last update for Athlone: July 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,477 in Athlone and $1,579 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 26% 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: $95.0 in Athlone vs $70.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $320, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Athlone, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,477 in Athlone versus $1,579 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,345 in Athlone versus $706 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,320 in Barcelona versus $3,109 in Athlone, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,320 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.