Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,542 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,729 in Dublin versus $2,542 in Athlone.

Dublin $3,729
Athlone $2,542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,239 in Dublin versus $3,749 in Athlone.

Dublin $5,239
Athlone $3,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,748 in Dublin versus $4,956 in Athlone.

Dublin $6,748
Athlone $4,956

Living in Dublin is roughly 47% more expensive than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 176% above, Athlone 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.97

$22.37 €19.90

5.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$91.0 €80.9

10.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.00

$12.63 €11.23

6.89%

Cappuccino

$4.82 €4.29

$4.32 €3.84

11.57%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$2.92 €2.60

-1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.84 €1.64

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €6.94

$7.41 €6.59

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 €6.51

$6.55 €5.82

11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.46 €1.30

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.26 €1.12

92.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.66 €1.48

19.28%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.35

$3.91 €3.48

25.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 €8.91

$10.73 €9.55

-6.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$11.27 €10.02

13.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 €14.04

$11.85 €10.53

33.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.55 €2.27

11.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.56 €1.39

39.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.41 €2.14

9.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 €4.71

$2.85 €2.53

85.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.29 €2.03

-19.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.81 €1.61

-18.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.44 €1.28

-9.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.90 €1.69

6.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 €18.48

$17.88 €15.90

16.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.12

$11.10 €9.87

22.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.58 €3.18

-3.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.06 €1.83

6.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.49

$5.08 €4.52

-0.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.49 €1.32

4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.01 €32.92

$27.77 €24.70

33.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.03 €1.80

5.91%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$39.6K €35.2K

-1.76%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$36.8K €32.7K

7.35%

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

$281 €250

$241 €214

16.63%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$21.86 €19.45

-17.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 €45.88

$49.22 €43.78

4.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$58.5 €52.1

16.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 €18.28

$34.69 €30.85

-40.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.74

$10.95 €9.74

41.10%

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

$1,281 €1,140

$1,001 €891

27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$5,365 €4,772

164.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.0

$92.9 €82.6

15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.51

$40.88 €36.36

25.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$83.6 €74.4

33.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$77.7 €69.1

66.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,468 €1,306

70.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 €1,997

$1,353 €1,203

65.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,443 €3,951

$2,529 €2,249

75.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 €3,051

$2,254 €2,005

52.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,378 €8,341

$3,294 €2,930

184.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,995 €5,332

$3,340 €2,971

79.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 €3,481

$3,153 €2,804

24.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.73

2.41%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2%

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2% 39.7% $892

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 9.7%

Athlone

$305 12% 16% $58

Eating Out

Dublin

$361 9.7%

Athlone

$338 13.3% 6.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.4%

Athlone

$312 12.3% 11% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$180 4.8%

Athlone

$133 5.2% 26.1% $47

Getting Around

Dublin

$131 3.5%

Athlone

$21 * 0.8% 84.1% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$99 2.7%

Athlone

$80 3.2% 18.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,503 in Dublin and $1,468 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 24% 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: $101 in Dublin vs $91.0 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $305 per month, with Athlone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Dublin Athlone 110 km

From you

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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

Dublin vs Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Dublin. 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 24% higher in Dublin, 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: $2,503 in Dublin versus $1,468 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Dublin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,729 per month in Dublin versus $2,542 in Athlone – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,542 in Athlone versus $3,729 in Dublin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athlone but tight or insufficient in Dublin. The gap between the two cities makes Athlone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athlone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,542 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athlone hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dublin 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.

Expats usually find Athlone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.