Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,542 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $3,270 in Galway.

Athlone $2,542
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $4,565 in Galway.

Athlone $3,749
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $5,860 in Galway.

Athlone $4,956
Galway $5,860

Living in Athlone costs roughly 22% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Galway 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$22.70 €20.19

-1.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$110 €97.6

-17.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$16.68 €14.84

-24.28%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$4.79 €4.26

-9.81%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$2.87 €2.56

1.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.30 €2.05

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$8.04 €7.15

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.88 €6.12

-4.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.58 €1.40

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.37 €2.11

-46.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.26 €2.01

-26.55%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.38 €3.89

-10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$16.67 €14.83

-35.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$11.04 €9.82

2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$13.18 €11.72

-10.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.05 €2.72

-16.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.23 €1.98

-30.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.97 €2.64

-18.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$4.17 €3.71

-31.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.05 €1.82

11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.52 €1.36

19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.29 €1.15

11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.81 €1.61

4.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$20.14 €17.91

-11.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$14.04 €12.49

-20.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.96 €3.52

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$4.46 €3.97

-19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.10 €1.87

-1.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$5.07 €4.51

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.43 €1.27

4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$56.9 €50.6

-51.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.09 €1.86

-2.87%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$39.1K €34.7K

1.33%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$36.4K €32.4K

1.10%

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

$241 €214

$246 €219

-2.13%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$20.84 €18.53

4.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$50.3 €44.71

-2.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$43.60 €38.77

34.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$22.58 €20.09

53.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$16.54 €14.71

-33.80%

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

$1,001 €891

$1,010 €898

-0.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$99.4 €88.4

-6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$48.19 €42.86

-15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$111 €98.4

-24.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$114 €101

-31.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$2,234 €1,987

-34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$1,897 €1,687

-28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$3,654 €3,250

-30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$2,698 €2,400

-16.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$5,965 €5,306

-44.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$4,623 €4,111

-27.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$2,905 €2,584

8.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.68

1.36%

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

Last update for Athlone: 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

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 40.2% $544

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Galway

$364 11.1% 7.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Galway

$317 9.7% 1.7% $5.3

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Galway

$365 11.2% 19.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Galway

$168 5.1% 26.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Galway

$77 2.3% 4.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Galway

$83 2.5% 300% $62

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 $1,468 in Athlone and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $365 per month, with Athlone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athlone Galway 75 km

From you

Athlone
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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

Athlone vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Galway. 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 9% higher in Athlone, 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: $1,468 in Athlone versus $2,234 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $3,270 in Galway – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,542 in Athlone versus $3,270 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athlone but tight or insufficient in Galway. 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, Athlone and Galway 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 29% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.