Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Munster

For one person, living is cheaper in Munster: $2,259 a month against $2,662 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Munster
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Munster Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,662

/mo nomad

Munster

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone and in Munster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,662 in Athlone versus $2,259 in Munster.

Athlone $2,662
Munster $2,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,943 in Athlone versus $3,305 in Munster.

Athlone $3,943
Munster $3,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,225 in Athlone versus $4,351 in Munster.

Athlone $5,225
Munster $4,351

Living in Athlone is roughly 18% more expensive than in Munster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 96% above, Munster 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.33 €20.00

$13.28 €11.90

68.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.8

$73.0 €65.4

37.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.82

$12.32 €11.04

7.14%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.50

$3.71 €3.32

5.12%

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

$2.09 €1.87

$3.87 €3.47

-45.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.67 €2.39

-31.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 €5.95

$5.55 €4.97

19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.89

$4.54 €4.06

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.38 €1.24

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.91 €1.71

-34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$4.35 €3.89

-61.38%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.40

$3.78 €3.39

0.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.69

$14.15 €12.67

-23.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 €10.13

$10.23 €9.16

10.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 €10.70

$27.86 €24.95

-57.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.30 €2.95

-19.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.25 €2.02

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.91 €1.71

21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.92 €3.51

-29.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.64 €1.47

52.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.07 €0.96

121.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.49 €1.33

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.88 €0.79

123.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.66 €15.82

$9.45 €8.46

86.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 €9.89

$6.19 €5.55

78.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.13 €1.01

192.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €4.05

$1.57 €1.40

187.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$3.19 €2.86

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.9 €89.5

$69.8 €62.5

43.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$4.34 €3.89

27.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$2.72 €2.44

-47.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.59 €16.65

$33.48 €29.99

-44.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.05 €1.83

-0.98%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$32.6K €29.2K

18.88%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$38.8K €34.7K

-3.88%

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

$258 €231

$465 €417

-44.62%

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

$29.70 €26.60

$23.71 €21.24

25.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.63 €42.66

$40.59 €36.35

17.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 €44.61

$32.60 €29.19

52.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 €31.73

$22.98 €20.58

54.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 €9.84

$14.08 €12.61

-22.02%

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

$989 €886

$832 €745

18.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 €4,546

$14.8K €13.2K

-65.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$104 €92.9

10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.67 €37.32

$49.08 €43.96

-15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.8

$114 €102

-26.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.6

$130 €117

-40.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,333

$956 €856

55.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,215

$794 €711

70.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,613 €2,340

$1,916 €1,716

36.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,019

$1,370 €1,227

64.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,950

$6,794 €6,084

-51.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,418 €3,061

$4,079 €3,653

-16.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,142 €2,814

$3,280 €2,937

-4.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.95

-5.57%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 24, 2026

Last update for Munster: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athlone

$1.4K 51%

Munster

$794 35.1% 41.4% $562

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$335 12.6%

Munster

$530 23.5% 58.1% $195

Eating Out

Athlone

$325 12.2%

Munster

$251 11.1% 22.8% $74

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$311 11.7%

Munster

$345 15.3% 10.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$143 5.4%

Munster

$179 7.9% 25.1% $36

Getting Around

Athlone

$120 4.5%

Munster

$100 4.5% 16% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$72 2.7%

Munster

$61 2.7% 15.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,488 in Athlone and $956 in Munster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Munster pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $100 in Athlone vs $73 in Munster. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $345, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇩🇪 Munster

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

1 h ahead of Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

314,332

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athlone Munster 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Munster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Munster wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Munster the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $956 in Munster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $989 in Athlone versus $832 in Munster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Munster 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 Munster are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.