Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
Learn more

Athlone Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Athlone

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Athlone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,688 in Athlone.

Barcelona $2,443
Athlone $2,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,966 in Athlone.

Barcelona $3,519
Athlone $3,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,244 in Athlone.

Barcelona $4,595
Athlone $5,244

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 9% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Athlone 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$22.04 €19.70

-19.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$101 €90.0

-32.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$13.06 €11.68

4.21%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$3.84 €3.43

-19.27%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.13 €1.91

40.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.91 €1.71

1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$6.79 €6.07

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$5.64 €5.04

-22.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.41 €1.26

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.32 €1.18

60.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.75 €1.57

12.57%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$3.87 €3.46

23.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$11.04 €9.87

54.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$11.36 €10.16

-21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$11.82 €10.57

74.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$2.60 €2.32

21.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.64 €1.47

20.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.41 €2.16

9.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.77 €2.47

3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.51 €2.25

-17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.29 €2.05

-4.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.13 €1.90

-28.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.89 €1.69

-48.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$17.94 €16.04

-61.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$11.10 €9.92

-28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$3.27 €2.92

-56.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$4.41 €3.95

-39.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.82 €1.63

81.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$102 €91.6

-75.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$5.06 €4.52

-39.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.46 €1.30

1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$31.05 €27.76

5.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.98 €1.77

-5.56%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$39.7K €35.5K

-16.88%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$37.5K €33.6K

-14.89%

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

$183 €164

$254 €227

-28.08%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$30.71 €27.46

-53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$47.71 €42.66

-27.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$48.70 €43.55

5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

$34.91 €31.22

-53.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$11.12 €9.94

-0.54%

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

$944 €844

$990 €885

-4.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$5,200 €4,650

328.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$114 €102

-22.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$41.19 €36.83

-5.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$86.8 €77.6

20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$76.6 €68.5

53.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$1,510 €1,350

12.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$1,384 €1,238

-3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$2,620 €2,343

2.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$2,270 €2,030

-8.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$3,301 €2,952

116.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$3,384 €3,026

50.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$3,150 €2,817

-28.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.73

-14.48%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Athlone

$1.4K 51.5% 3.6% $48

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Athlone

$312 11.6% 4.7% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Athlone

$323 12% 21% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Athlone

$333 12.4% 43.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Athlone

$143 5.3% 8.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Athlone

$71 2.6% 3.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Athlone

$122 4.5% 147% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,510 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $101 in Athlone. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $312, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Athlone

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

Barcelona vs Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 9% 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.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,510 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $990 in Athlone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Barcelona and Athlone are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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