Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlow and Limerick

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlow: $2,548 a month against $2,815 in Limerick, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Limerick
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Limerick Living Index

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Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Limerick

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Carlow and in Limerick

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Carlow vs $2,815 in Limerick, rent included.

Carlow $2,548
Limerick $2,815

A couple spends around $3,814 per month in Carlow vs $3,956 in Limerick, rent included.

Carlow $3,814
Limerick $3,956

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Carlow vs $5,097 in Limerick, rent included.

Carlow $5,081
Limerick $5,097

Carlow is about 9% cheaper than Limerick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Carlow and Limerick sit above the global median – Carlow by 88%, Limerick by 108%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 €18.69

$20.23 €17.99

3.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$83.0 €73.9

9.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 €11.65

$13.48 €11.99

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$4.53 €4.03

-6.18%

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

$2.67 €2.37

$2.63 €2.34

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.23 €1.99

-0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$7.23 €6.43

2.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$6.76 €6.01

-3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.71 €1.52

-4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.87 €1.66

6.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.81 €1.61

5.52%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$5.39 €4.80

-19.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 €11.98

$8.50 €7.56

58.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

$12.79 €11.38

0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.84

$14.20 €12.63

1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$4.10 €3.65

-22.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.71 €2.41

10.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.97 €3.53

-16.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.06 €3.61

-18.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$4.40 €3.92

-46.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.84 €2.53

-38.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.26 €1.12

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.28 €2.03

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 €16.76

$20.45 €18.19

-7.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 €12.04

$16.76 €14.90

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.98 €2.65

43.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.98 €3.54

-13.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.43 €2.16

-48.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.3 €53.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$5.48 €4.87

-6.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.51 €1.34

1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.43 €28.85

$66.7 €59.3

-51.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.05 €1.82

1.95%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$39.6K €35.2K

-2.49%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

0.09%

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

$243 €216

$164 €146

48.17%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$20.70 €18.42

7.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 €50.2

$46.67 €41.51

20.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 €70.1

$52.1 €46.31

51.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 €49.93

$24.97 €22.21

124.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.09

$11.32 €10.07

20.05%

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

$1,052 €936

$848 €755

24.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

$2,247 €1,999

142.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$86.3 €76.7

10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.92

$35.72 €31.78

19.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$92.4 €82.2

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.3

$95.1 €84.6

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,282

$1,869 €1,663

-22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,584 €1,409

-20.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,310

$2,467 €2,194

5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 €1,914

$2,254 €2,005

-4.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,664 €5,038

$4,460 €3,967

26.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,675 €5,937

$3,865 €3,438

72.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,351 €2,091

$3,220 €2,865

-27.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

11.11%

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

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Limerick: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5%

Limerick

$1.6K 56.3% 25.6% $323

Groceries & Markets

Carlow

$361 14.2%

Limerick

$377 13.4% 4.6% $17

Eating Out

Carlow

$328 12.9%

Limerick

$326 11.6% 0.7% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlow

$322 12.6%

Limerick

$231 8.2% 28.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Carlow

$153 6%

Limerick

$139 5% 9.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Carlow

$106 4.2%

Limerick

$75 2.7% 29.5% $31

Getting Around

Carlow

$18 * 0.7%

Limerick

$83 3% 366% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,441 in Carlow versus $1,869 in Limerick. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Limerick, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Carlow versus $83.0 in Limerick. Groceries tell a different story – $361 in Carlow vs $377 in Limerick – so Carlow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Carlow

🇮🇪 Limerick

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

Same time as Carlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,351

94,192

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Carlow Limerick 120 km

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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

Carlow vs Limerick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Limerick is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,822 per month in Carlow and $4,222 in Limerick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carlow, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,548 in Carlow and $2,815 in Limerick. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $1,052 per month in Carlow and $848 in Limerick. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Carlow, where all-in costs run around $2,548, than in Limerick at $2,815. In Carlow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Limerick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Carlow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Carlow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Limerick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.