Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Limerick and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,542 a month against $2,791 in Limerick, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Limerick
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Limerick Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Limerick

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,791

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,791 in Limerick versus $2,542 in Athlone.

Limerick $2,791
Athlone $2,542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,934 in Limerick versus $3,749 in Athlone.

Limerick $3,934
Athlone $3,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,077 in Limerick versus $4,956 in Athlone.

Limerick $5,077
Athlone $4,956

Living in Limerick is roughly 10% more expensive than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Limerick 107% above, Athlone 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 €17.83

$22.37 €19.90

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 €75.1

$91.0 €80.9

-7.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 €11.94

$12.63 €11.23

6.25%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €3.97

$4.32 €3.84

3.47%

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

$2.55 €2.26

$2.92 €2.60

-12.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.84 €1.64

20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.54

$7.41 €6.59

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.55 €5.82

2.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.46 €1.30

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.26 €1.12

42.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.66 €1.48

10.24%

Eggs

$5.48 €4.87

$3.91 €3.48

40.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$10.73 €9.55

-22.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 €11.16

$11.27 €10.02

11.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 €12.66

$11.85 €10.53

20.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$2.55 €2.27

65.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.56 €1.39

72.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 €3.45

$2.41 €2.14

61.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.85 €2.53

42.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 €3.94

$2.29 €2.03

93.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.81 €1.61

49.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 €1.28

-13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.90 €1.69

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.43 €18.17

$17.88 €15.90

14.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 €14.75

$11.10 €9.87

49.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$3.44 €3.06

-14.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 €3.41

$3.58 €3.18

6.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.06 €1.83

20.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 €52.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$5.08 €4.52

9.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.49 €1.32

-4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.1 €59.7

$27.77 €24.70

141.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.03 €1.80

-1.48%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$39.6K €35.2K

-2.33%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$36.8K €32.7K

2.87%

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

$163 €145

$241 €214

-32.41%

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

$21.20 €18.85

$21.86 €19.45

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.06 €40.96

$49.22 €43.78

-6.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.76 €44.25

$58.5 €52.1

-14.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 €22.42

$34.69 €30.85

-27.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.98

$10.95 €9.74

2.56%

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

$838 €745

$1,001 €891

-16.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,266 €2,015

$5,365 €4,772

-57.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.6

$92.9 €82.6

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.71 €31.76

$40.88 €36.36

-12.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 €81.2

$83.6 €74.4

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 €84.1

$77.7 €69.1

21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 €1,655

$1,468 €1,306

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 €1,398

$1,353 €1,203

16.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 €2,121

$2,529 €2,249

-5.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 €2,000

$2,254 €2,005

-0.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 €4,015

$3,294 €2,930

37.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,874 €3,446

$3,340 €2,971

15.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,266 €2,905

$3,153 €2,804

3.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.73

-3.49%

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

Last update for Limerick: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Limerick

$1.6K 56.3%

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2% 13.9% $219

Groceries & Markets

Limerick

$374 13.4%

Athlone

$305 12% 18.4% $69

Eating Out

Limerick

$323 11.6%

Athlone

$338 13.3% 4.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Limerick

$230 8.2%

Athlone

$312 12.3% 35.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Limerick

$138 5%

Athlone

$133 5.2% 4.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Limerick

$82 2.9%

Athlone

$21 * 0.8% 74.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Limerick

$72 2.6%

Athlone

$80 3.2% 11.4% $8.2

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 $1,860 in Limerick and $1,468 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Limerick pays 4% 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: $84.0 in Limerick vs $91.0 in Athlone. Groceries flip the comparison at $374 vs $305, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Limerick

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Limerick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,192

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Limerick Athlone 96 km

From you

Limerick
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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

Limerick vs Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Limerick. 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 4% higher in Limerick, 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: $1,860 in Limerick versus $1,468 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Limerick. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,791 per month in Limerick versus $2,542 in Athlone – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,542 in Athlone versus $2,791 in Limerick, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athlone but tight or insufficient in Limerick. 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, Limerick 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 10% less than in Limerick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.