Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Arklow: $2,624 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arklow and in Galway

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $3,270 in Galway, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Galway $3,270

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $4,565 in Galway, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Galway $4,565

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $5,860 in Galway, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Galway $5,860

Arklow is about 20% cheaper than Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Arklow and Galway sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Galway by 142%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$22.70 €20.19

-1.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$110 €97.6

-18.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$16.68 €14.84

-32.55%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$4.79 €4.26

-13.99%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$2.87 €2.56

2.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.30 €2.05

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$8.04 €7.15

-31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$6.88 €6.12

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.58 €1.40

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.37 €2.11

-5.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.26 €2.01

-15.93%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$4.38 €3.89

5.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$16.67 €14.83

-14.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$11.04 €9.82

19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$13.18 €11.72

26.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$3.05 €2.72

6.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.23 €1.98

30.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.97 €2.64

15.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$4.17 €3.71

12.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.05 €1.82

15.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.52 €1.36

20.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.29 €1.15

12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.81 €1.61

18.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$20.14 €17.91

0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$14.04 €12.49

-3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$3.96 €3.52

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$4.46 €3.97

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.10 €1.87

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$5.07 €4.51

2.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.43 €1.27

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$56.9 €50.6

-41.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.09 €1.86

1.44%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.1K €34.7K

-0.72%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$36.4K €32.4K

2.47%

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

$240 €213

$246 €219

-2.52%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$20.84 €18.53

6.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$50.3 €44.71

9.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$43.60 €38.77

31.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$16.54 €14.71

-17.90%

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

$1,066 €948

$1,010 €898

5.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$99.4 €88.4

-5.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$48.19 €42.86

-10.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$111 €98.4

-3.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$114 €101

3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$2,234 €1,987

-29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$1,897 €1,687

-30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$3,654 €3,250

-21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$2,698 €2,400

-32.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,965 €5,306

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$2,905 €2,584

67.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.68

12.50%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 43.2% $572

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Galway

$365 11.2% 6.8% $27

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Galway

$364 11.1% 13.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Galway

$317 9.7% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Galway

$168 5.1% 3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Galway

$77 2.3% 9.4% $8

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Galway

$83 2.5% 269% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $2,234 in Galway. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 67% higher in Arklow, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow versus $110 in Galway. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Arklow vs $365 in Galway – so Galway wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

Same time as Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Arklow Galway 200 km

From you

Arklow
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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

Arklow vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $3,270 in Galway – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $4,905 in Galway. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arklow, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $110 in Galway. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Galway – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,624 in Arklow and $3,270 in Galway. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Galway has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,624 in Arklow to $3,270 in Galway. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arklow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Galway makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.