Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Athlone $2,542
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Athlone $3,749
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Athlone $4,956
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Athlone is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.87

$16.50 €14.65

35.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.8

$61.3 €54.4

48.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.21

$11.27 €10.01

12.07%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$3.06 €2.72

41.18%

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

$2.92 €2.59

$2.26 €2.01

29.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.73 €1.54

6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.58

$3.39 €3.01

118.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.81

$3.40 €3.02

92.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.12 €0.99

30.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.86 €1.65

-32.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.53 €1.36

8.50%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.47

$3.96 €3.52

-1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.53

$12.76 €11.33

-15.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.01

$7.90 €7.01

42.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.52

$16.97 €15.07

-30.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.27 €2.01

12.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.75 €1.55

-10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.85 €1.64

30.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.57 €2.28

10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.86 €1.65

23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.60

$2.02 €1.80

-10.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.82 €0.73

131.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.87

$6.56 €5.82

172.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.86

$5.62 €4.99

97.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.28 €1.13

168.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$2.07 €1.84

72.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.35 €2.08

-12.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.51

$3.99 €3.54

27.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.09 €0.97

36.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.67

$16.64 €14.78

66.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.28 €2.03

-10.96%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$33.7K €29.9K

17.57%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-6.33%

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

$241 €214

$167 €149

43.79%

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

$21.86 €19.42

$18.80 €16.69

16.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.72

$33.09 €29.39

48.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.0

$46.01 €40.86

27.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.81

$19.19 €17.04

80.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.73

$9.84 €8.74

11.28%

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

$1,001 €889

$677 €601

47.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,765

$16.9K €15.0K

-68.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.5

$101 €89.9

-8.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.31

$45.76 €40.64

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.3

$100.0 €88.8

-16.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.0

$123 €109

-36.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,304

$1,614 €1,433

-9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,201

$1,197 €1,063

13.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,246

$2,862 €2,541

-11.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,002

$1,990 €1,767

13.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,925

$7,577 €6,729

-56.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,966

$4,307 €3,825

-22.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,800

$1,588 €1,410

98.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.85

-3.12%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 11.5% $156

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 28.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 29.7% $93

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 11.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 18.3% $15

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 204% $42

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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 99% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athlone Lisbon 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 99% 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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone and Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.