Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portlaoise and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $1,775 in Athens.

Portlaoise $2,347
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,746 in Portlaoise versus $2,721 in Athens.

Portlaoise $3,746
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,145 in Portlaoise versus $3,666 in Athens.

Portlaoise $5,145
Athens $3,666

Living in Portlaoise is roughly 32% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portlaoise 74% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$16.69 €14.84

36.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$67.8 €60.3

15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.32

$11.14 €9.91

14.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$4.03 €3.58

9.18%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$2.77 €2.46

-9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.55 €0.49

209.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$5.74 €5.10

14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$5.45 €4.85

12.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.82 €1.62

-6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.38 €1.23

63.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.80 €2.49

-33.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.83 €4.30

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$15.05 €13.39

-6.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.46

$10.63 €9.45

21.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$18.43 €16.39

-9.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.20 €1.96

50.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.90 €1.69

54.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.37 €1.22

137.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$2.10 €1.87

131.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.08 €0.96

114.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.12 €1.00

54.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.12 €1.00

23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.88 €0.79

138.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.13

$5.48 €4.88

271.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$10.13 €9.01

33.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$2.13 €1.89

92.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.25 €2.00

60.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$1.36 €1.21

242.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$29.89 €26.59

47.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$4.45 €3.96

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.02 €0.90

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$16.92 €15.05

96.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.25 €2.00

-9.78%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

38.51%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$28.2K €25.1K

34.78%

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

$239 €212

$205 €182

16.67%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$26.65 €23.71

-18.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.41

$30.38 €27.02

82.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$54.5 €48.47

1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$10.42 €9.27

29.08%

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

$1,072 €953

$569 €506

88.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

$12.6K €11.2K

-56.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$88.7 €78.9

6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.95

$40.46 €35.99

5.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.3

$105 €93.3

3.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$741 €659

65.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$655 €582

50.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,300 €1,156

74.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$1,148 €1,021

87.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$1,242 €1,105

124.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.48

-21.88%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 33.5% $329

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Athens

$310 17.5% 20.3% $79

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 19.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Athens

$262 14.7% 17.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Athens

$160 9% 3.1% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 8.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 40.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Portlaoise and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portlaoise pays 124% 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: $78.0 in Portlaoise vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

2 h ahead of Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Portlaoise Athens 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Portlaoise
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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

Portlaoise vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Portlaoise. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 124% higher in Portlaoise, 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: $1,229 in Portlaoise versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $78.0 in Portlaoise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,347 per month in Portlaoise versus $1,775 in Athens – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,347 in Portlaoise, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Portlaoise. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Portlaoise and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Portlaoise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.