Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,662 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,662 in Athlone.

Lisbon $2,210
Athlone $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,943 in Athlone.

Lisbon $3,275
Athlone $3,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,225 in Athlone.

Lisbon $4,341
Athlone $5,225

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 17% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Athlone 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$22.33 €20.06

-25.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$100 €90.1

-38.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.20 €11.86

-13.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.90 €3.51

-23.85%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.09 €1.87

9.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.84 €1.65

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.64 €5.97

-48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.46 €4.91

-39.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.39 €1.25

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.26 €1.13

51.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.68 €1.51

-10.12%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.80 €3.41

5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.82 €9.72

19.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$11.31 €10.17

-31.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$11.95 €10.74

48.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.65 €2.38

-13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.56 €1.40

10.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.32 €2.08

-19.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.76 €2.48

-6.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.50 €2.24

-27.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.37 €2.13

-16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.15 €1.93

-31.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.97 €1.77

-63.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$17.66 €15.87

-62.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.04 €9.92

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.30 €2.97

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.52 €4.06

-52.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.76 €1.58

32.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$99.9 €89.8

-55.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.54 €4.98

-30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.43 €1.29

-25.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$18.59 €16.70

-11.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.03 €1.82

8.37%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$38.8K €34.8K

-11.81%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.3K €33.5K

3.89%

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

$161 €145

$258 €232

-37.46%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$29.70 €26.69

-38.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$47.63 €42.79

-31.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$49.81 €44.75

-10.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$35.43 €31.83

-46.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.98 €9.87

-12.57%

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

$668 €600

$989 €889

-32.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,076 €4,561

247.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$114 €103

-10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$41.67 €37.44

6.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$83.6 €75.1

17.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$77.7 €69.9

59.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,488 €1,337

8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,356 €1,219

-12.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$2,613 €2,348

7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,254 €2,025

-10.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$3,293 €2,959

138.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,418 €3,071

33.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,142 €2,823

-49.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.73

3.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Athlone

$1.4K 51% 14% $166

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Athlone

$311 11.7% 14.2% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Athlone

$325 12.2% 33.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Athlone

$335 12.6% 57.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Athlone

$143 5.4% 14% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Athlone

$72 2.7% 12.6% $8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Athlone

$120 4.5% 89.3% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,488 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 99% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $100 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $311 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Athlone 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,488 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon 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 14% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon 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, Lisbon 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 – Lisbon wins on affordability, Athlone on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.