Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Waterford

For one person, living is cheaper in Waterford: $2,687 a month against $2,889 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
Learn more

Thornton, CO Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
Learn more

Waterford Living Index

Jump to prices

Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,889

/mo nomad

Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thornton, CO and in Waterford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Thornton, CO versus $2,687 in Waterford.

Thornton, CO $2,889
Waterford $2,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,964 in Thornton, CO versus $3,901 in Waterford.

Thornton, CO $3,964
Waterford $3,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,039 in Thornton, CO versus $5,115 in Waterford.

Thornton, CO $5,039
Waterford $5,115

Living in Thornton, CO is roughly 8% more expensive than in Waterford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thornton, CO 114% above, Waterford 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 $19.64

$22.19 €19.74

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 $85.5

$91.1 €81.0

-6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.80 $12.80

$12.03 €10.70

6.40%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$4.15 €3.69

42.65%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$3.04 €2.70

-4.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.06 €1.83

11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 $6.83

$7.32 €6.51

-6.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$6.00 €5.33

34.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.43 €1.27

-24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.33 €2.07

39.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.27 €2.02

99.56%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$4.38 €3.89

15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.69 $14.69

$15.70 €13.96

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$10.97 €9.76

22.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.71 $19.71

$13.36 €11.89

47.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.93 €2.61

70.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.19 €1.95

-2.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$3.07 €2.73

41.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$4.01 €3.56

14.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.48 €1.31

73.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.51 €1.34

74.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.25 €1.11

81.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.87 €1.66

29.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 $10.60

$18.37 €16.34

-42.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 $18.76

$14.06 €12.51

33.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.08 €2.74

-13.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.12 €2.77

45.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$5.07 €4.51

-29.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.42 €1.26

0.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.70 $24.70

$54.9 €48.81

-54.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.02 €1.80

-49.50%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$38.5K €34.2K

-34.90%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$37.2K €33.1K

-31.05%

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

$167 $167

$243 €217

-31.25%

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

$77.4 $77.4

$21.08 €18.75

267.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 $88.0

$49.89 €44.38

76.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 $55.8

$49.49 €44.03

12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

$14.17 €12.60

-29.00%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$16.96 €15.09

-10.44%

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

$1,497 $1,497

$985 €877

51.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$79.1 €70.4

-25.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.09 $40.09

$48.30 €42.96

-17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$109 €97.1

-25.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$112 €100

9.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 $1,734

$1,697 €1,509

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 $1,544

$1,363 €1,212

13.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,572 $2,572

$2,555 €2,273

0.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$2,145 €1,908

-6.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 €2,790

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,573 €2,288

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,462 $5,462

$3,161 €2,812

72.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

4.14

62.32%

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

Last update for Thornton, CO: October 11, 2026

Last update for Waterford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 53.4%

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7% 11.7% $181

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$441 15.3%

Waterford

$351 13.1% 20.4% $90

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$338 11.7%

Waterford

$332 12.4% 1.6% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$333 11.5%

Waterford

$314 11.7% 5.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$137 4.7%

Waterford

$157 5.9% 15.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Waterford

$83 3.1% 3.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$11 * 0.4%

Waterford

$86 3.2% 702% $75

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 $1,734 in Thornton, CO and $1,697 in Waterford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thornton, CO pays 73% 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: $85.0 in Thornton, CO vs $91.0 in Waterford. Groceries flip the comparison at $441 vs $351, with Waterford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇮🇪 Waterford

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

7 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

40,300

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thornton, CO Waterford 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
Waterford

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

Thornton, CO vs Waterford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waterford wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Thornton, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Waterford the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Thornton, CO, 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: $1,734 in Thornton, CO versus $1,697 in Waterford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,497 in Thornton, CO versus $985 in Waterford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Waterford – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $85.0 in Thornton, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Waterford 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, Thornton, CO and Waterford 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 Waterford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Thornton, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.