Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,662 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,662

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Cork

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,662 in Athlone versus $3,214 in Cork.

Athlone $2,662
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,943 in Athlone versus $4,510 in Cork.

Athlone $3,943
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,225 in Athlone versus $5,807 in Cork.

Athlone $5,225
Cork $5,807

Living in Athlone costs roughly 17% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 96% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.33 €20.03

$21.95 €19.69

1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €90.0

$88.5 €79.3

13.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.84

$12.85 €11.53

2.72%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.50

$4.45 €3.99

-12.36%

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

$2.09 €1.87

$2.86 €2.57

-26.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.24 €2.01

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 €5.96

$7.35 €6.59

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.90

$7.25 €6.50

-24.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.70 €1.52

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.33 €2.09

-45.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.86 €1.67

-9.68%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.41

$4.42 €3.97

-14.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.71

$14.15 €12.69

-23.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 €10.15

$12.73 €11.42

-11.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 €10.72

$16.37 €14.69

-27.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$3.28 €2.94

-19.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.89 €2.59

-46.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$3.37 €3.02

-31.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$4.80 €4.30

-42.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.25 €2.02

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.75 €1.57

35.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.38 €1.24

55.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.15 €1.92

-8.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.66 €15.84

$20.31 €18.21

-13.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 €9.90

$13.54 €12.15

-18.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$4.14 €3.71

-20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €4.05

$3.53 €3.17

28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.71 €1.53

2.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.9 €89.6

$77.4 €69.5

29.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.97

$5.23 €4.69

5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.49 €1.34

-4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.59 €16.68

$32.62 €29.26

-43.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.13 €1.91

-4.69%

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

$38.8K €34.8K

$38.6K €34.6K

0.38%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$37.6K €33.7K

-0.86%

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

$258 €231

$235 €211

9.53%

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

$29.70 €26.64

$21.68 €19.44

36.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.63 €42.72

$55.8 €50.0

-14.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 €44.68

$54.7 €49.05

-8.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 €31.78

$15.40 €13.82

130.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 €9.85

$13.24 €11.88

-17.07%

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

$989 €887

$1,071 €961

-7.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 €4,553

$5,278 €4,734

-3.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$95.2 €85.4

19.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.67 €37.38

$41.83 €37.52

-0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.9

$106 €94.7

-20.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.7

$118 €106

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,335

$2,207 €1,979

-32.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,217

$1,833 €1,644

-26.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,613 €2,344

$3,210 €2,879

-18.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,022

$2,723 €2,443

-17.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,954

$5,257 €4,716

-37.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,418 €3,066

$3,407 €3,056

0.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,142 €2,818

$3,787 €3,397

-17.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

4.14

-9.90%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athlone

$1.4K 51%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 35.1% $477

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$335 12.6%

Cork

$313 9.7% 6.7% $22

Eating Out

Athlone

$325 12.2%

Cork

$339 10.6% 4.4% $14

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$311 11.7%

Cork

$388 12.1% 24.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$143 5.4%

Cork

$162 5.1% 13.8% $20

Getting Around

Athlone

$120 4.5%

Cork

$97 3% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$72 2.7%

Cork

$81 2.5% 13.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,488 in Athlone and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 21% 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: $100 in Athlone vs $88 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $388, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

Same time as Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athlone Cork 170 km

From you

Athlone
Cork

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 Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Cork. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athlone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Athlone. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,488 in Athlone versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $989 in Athlone versus $1,071 in Cork. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Athlone is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Athlone wins on affordability, Cork on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.