Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,662 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork 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 Cork and in Athlone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,662 in Athlone.

Cork $3,214
Athlone $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $3,943 in Athlone.

Cork $4,510
Athlone $3,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $5,225 in Athlone.

Cork $5,807
Athlone $5,225

Living in Cork is roughly 21% more expensive than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Athlone 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.72

$22.33 €20.06

-1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.5

$100 €90.1

-11.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.55

$13.20 €11.86

-2.65%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.99

$3.90 €3.51

14.10%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.09 €1.87

36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.84 €1.65

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.61

$6.64 €5.97

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.51

$5.46 €4.91

32.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.39 €1.25

22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.26 €1.13

84.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.68 €1.51

10.71%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$3.80 €3.41

16.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.71

$10.82 €9.72

30.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.44

$11.31 €10.17

12.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.71

$11.95 €10.74

36.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.95

$2.65 €2.38

23.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.56 €1.40

85.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$2.32 €2.08

45.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.31

$2.76 €2.48

73.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.50 €2.24

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$2.37 €2.13

-26.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.24

$2.15 €1.93

-35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.97 €1.77

9.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.24

$17.66 €15.87

15.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.17

$11.04 €9.92

22.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.72

$3.30 €2.97

25.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.18

$4.52 €4.06

-21.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.76 €1.58

-2.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

$99.9 €89.8

-22.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.70

$5.54 €4.98

-5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.43 €1.29

4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.31

$18.59 €16.70

75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.03 €1.82

4.93%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$38.8K €34.8K

-0.38%

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

$37.6K €33.8K

$37.3K €33.5K

0.86%

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

$235 €211

$258 €232

-8.70%

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

$21.68 €19.48

$29.70 €26.69

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €50.1

$47.63 €42.79

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.13

$49.81 €44.75

9.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

$35.43 €31.83

-56.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.90

$10.98 €9.87

20.58%

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

$1,071 €962

$989 €889

8.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,742

$5,076 €4,561

3.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.6

$114 €103

-16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.58

$41.67 €37.44

0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$83.6 €75.1

26.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$77.7 €69.9

51.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,983

$1,488 €1,337

48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,647

$1,356 €1,219

35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,884

$2,613 €2,348

22.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,447

$2,254 €2,025

20.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,723

$3,293 €2,959

59.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,062

$3,418 €3,071

-0.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,402

$3,142 €2,823

20.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.73

10.99%

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

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Athlone

$1.4K 51% 26% $477

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Athlone

$311 11.7% 19.8% $77

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Athlone

$325 12.2% 4.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Athlone

$335 12.6% 7.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Athlone

$143 5.4% 12.1% $20

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Athlone

$120 4.5% 23.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Athlone

$72 2.7% 11.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,207 in Cork and $1,488 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 21% 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: $88 in Cork vs $100 in Athlone. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $311, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Athlone 170 km

From you

Cork
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

Cork vs Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Cork. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athlone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Cork, 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: $2,207 in Cork versus $1,488 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,071 in Cork versus $989 in Athlone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Athlone 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, Cork and Athlone are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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