Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athlone, Ireland
Medellin, Colombia
Athlone
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,688
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,688 in Athlone versus $1,692 in Medellin.

  • Athlone $2,688
  • Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,966 in Athlone versus $2,471 in Medellin.

  • Athlone $3,966
  • Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Athlone versus $3,249 in Medellin.

  • Athlone $5,244
  • Medellin $3,249

Living in Athlone is roughly 59% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 99% above, Medellin 25% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.04 €19.66
$8.34 COP 27.0K
164.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 €89.8
$46.53 COP 150.9K
116.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.06 €11.65
$9.47 COP 30.7K
37.91%
Cappuccino
$3.84 €3.43
$3.13 COP 10.2K
22.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.77 COP 5,728
20.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.42 COP 4,620
34.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.79 €6.05
$3.15 COP 10.2K
115.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.64 €5.03
$5.70 COP 18.5K
-1.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.53 COP 4,971
-7.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 €1.17
$2.29 COP 7,431
-42.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.94 COP 6,308
-9.79%
Eggs
$3.87 €3.46
$3.07 COP 9,945
26.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.04 €9.85
$9.99 COP 32.4K
10.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.36 €10.13
$10.45 COP 33.9K
8.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.82 €10.54
$13.96 COP 45.3K
-15.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 €2.32
$4.05 COP 13.1K
-35.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.53 COP 4,957
7.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 €2.15
$2.10 COP 6,825
14.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$2.29 COP 7,439
20.96%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 €2.24
$2.11 COP 6,841
18.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.71 COP 5,543
33.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.17 COP 3,795
82.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.58 COP 5,125
19.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.94 €16.00
$3.91 COP 12.7K
358.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.10 €9.90
$14.04 COP 45.6K
-20.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 €2.92
$1.76 COP 5,714
85.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 €3.94
$2.71 COP 8,796
62.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.18 COP 3,826
54.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$102 €91.4
$76.3 COP 247.4K
34.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.06 €4.51
$1.81 COP 5,860
179.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.13 COP 6,906
-31.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.05 €27.69
$8.13 COP 26.4K
281.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 €1.77
$1.28 COP 4,136
54.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.7K €35.4K
$34.4K COP 111.7M
15.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K €33.5K
$34.1K COP 110.7M
9.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$254 €227
$178 COP 576.4K
43.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.71 €27.40
$13.89 COP 45.0K
121.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.71 €42.56
$30.74 COP 99.7K
55.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.70 €43.44
$41.94 COP 136.0K
16.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 €31.14
$16.80 COP 54.5K
107.80%
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 €9.92
$7.47 COP 24.2K
48.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$990 €883
$790 COP 2.6M
25.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,200 €4,638
$12.3K COP 39.9M
-57.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 €102
$86.3 COP 280.0K
31.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.19 €36.74
$59.3 COP 192.2K
-30.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 €77.4
$138 COP 448.7K
-37.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.6 €68.4
$98.8 COP 320.5K
-22.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,510 €1,347
$1,341 COP 4.3M
12.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,384 €1,235
$667 COP 2.2M
107.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,620 €2,337
$1,976 COP 6.4M
32.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,270 €2,025
$1,033 COP 3.3M
119.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,301 €2,945
$4,098 COP 13.3M
-19.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,384 €3,018
$1,940 COP 6.3M
74.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athlone
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,150 €2,810
$646 COP 2.1M
387.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.73
10.94
-65.90%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athlone
$1.4K
Medellin
$667 51.8% $717
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
$333
Medellin
$222 33.2% $110
Eating Out
Athlone
$323
Medellin
$173 46.6% $150
Groceries & Markets
Athlone
$312
Medellin
$307 1.5% $4.8
Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
$143
Medellin
$172 20.2% $29
Getting Around
Athlone
$122
Medellin
$93 23.4% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
$71
Medellin
$57 19.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,510 in Athlone and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Athlone vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Athlone
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:16 8:16 AM
03:16 3:16 AM
5 h behind Athlone
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athlone Medellin 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athlone
  • Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athlone or Medellin?
Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athlone or in Medellin?
Average pay in Athlone is about 4.9 times higher, 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 Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Athlone versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Athlone compared to Medellin?
A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 26% less than in Athlone. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How much does it cost to live in Athlone compared to Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $2,688 per month in Athlone versus $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Athlone or in Medellin?
At $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,688 in Athlone, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athlone or Medellin?
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.
Should I move to Athlone or to Medellin?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Athlone on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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