Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Athlone $2,542
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Athlone $3,749
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Athlone $4,956
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Athlone is roughly 6% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$17.94 €15.96

24.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$68.1 €60.5

33.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$13.28 €11.81

-4.89%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$3.25 €2.89

32.92%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$3.01 €2.67

-2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.87 €1.66

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$3.85 €3.42

92.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$4.48 €3.98

46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.29 €1.15

13.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.04 €1.81

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.72 €1.53

-3.49%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.77 €4.24

-18.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$16.77 €14.91

-36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$8.93 €7.94

26.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$19.88 €17.68

-40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.98 €2.65

-14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.03 €1.80

-23.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.73 €2.43

-11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.68 €2.38

6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.10 €1.87

9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.08 €1.85

-12.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.89 €0.79

113.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$6.94 €6.17

157.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$7.78 €6.92

42.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.45 €1.29

137.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$2.57 €2.29

39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.99 €2.66

-31.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$3.12 €2.77

62.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.44 €1.28

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$33.50 €29.80

-17.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.79 €1.59

13.41%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

14.32%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

22.41%

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

$241 €214

$178 €158

35.42%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$13.32 €11.85

64.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$34.88 €31.02

41.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$53.3 €47.36

9.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$16.01 €14.24

116.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$11.06 €9.84

-0.99%

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

$1,001 €891

$957 €851

4.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

$16.6K €14.7K

-67.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$88.2 €78.4

5.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$39.49 €35.12

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$103 €91.4

-18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$121 €108

-36.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$1,653 €1,470

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$1,302 €1,158

3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$2,557 €2,275

-1.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$1,915 €1,703

17.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$7,286 €6,480

-54.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$5,080 €4,518

-34.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$2,281 €2,028

38.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.28

13.72%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 3.8% $51

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 20.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 27.5% $86

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 4.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 19.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 6.3% $5.1

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 129% $27

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 $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 38% 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 Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $320, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h ahead of Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athlone Barcelona 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 6% 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 38% 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: $1,468 in Athlone versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,542 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 $2,399 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 6% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.