Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Auckland: $2,456 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
Learn more

Auckland Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index

Jump to prices

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,456

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,456 in Auckland versus $3,268 in Galway.

Auckland $2,456
Galway $3,268

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,418 in Auckland versus $4,575 in Galway.

Auckland $3,418
Galway $4,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,380 in Auckland versus $5,881 in Galway.

Auckland $4,380
Galway $5,881

Living in Auckland costs roughly 25% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 81% above, Galway 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.98 NZ$24.72

$22.87 €20.34

-38.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 NZ$119

$114 €101

-41.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 NZ$16.47

$16.74 €14.89

-44.38%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.03

$4.97 €4.42

-31.39%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.59

$3.01 €2.68

-32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.23

$2.19 €1.95

-16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 NZ$11.95

$7.74 €6.89

-12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$6.78 €6.03

-0.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.63 €1.45

17.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NZ$3.87

$2.36 €2.10

-7.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$2.28 €2.03

-15.79%

Eggs

$6.26 NZ$11.06

$4.38 €3.89

42.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 NZ$15.46

$16.87 €15.01

-48.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NZ$17.64

$10.88 €9.68

-8.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.57 NZ$31.08

$13.29 €11.82

32.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.26

$3.05 €2.71

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.83

$2.18 €1.94

-0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.33

$3.03 €2.70

-0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 NZ$10.56

$4.10 €3.65

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.98 €1.76

8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.55 €1.38

-1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$1.32 €1.17

57.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.83 €1.63

-40.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.07 NZ$47.87

$20.25 €18.01

33.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 NZ$17.95

$13.76 €12.24

-26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 NZ$5.04

$4.13 €3.67

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.82

$4.58 €4.07

-28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 NZ$4.46

$2.10 €1.86

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$124 NZ$219

$61.7 €54.9

100.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$5.39 €4.79

-57.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.44 €1.28

40.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.82 NZ$58.0

$55.0 €48.93

-40.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$2.16 €1.92

-12.96%

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

$27.4K NZ$48.4K

$38.6K €34.3K

-29.12%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

$38.5K €34.3K

-43.56%

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

$187 NZ$331

$241 €214

-22.32%

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

$27.07 NZ$47.87

$20.86 €18.56

29.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 NZ$91.5

$50.7 €45.08

2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.41 NZ$80.3

$44.14 €39.26

2.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 NZ$31.82

$22.15 €19.70

-18.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 NZ$21.43

$13.32 €11.85

-9.01%

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

$1,118 NZ$1,977

$996 €886

12.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 NZ$142

$102 €90.4

-21.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.37 NZ$71.4

$47.57 €42.32

-15.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 NZ$169

$113 €100

-15.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$198

$117 €104

-4.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 NZ$2,341

$2,293 €2,040

-42.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 NZ$2,192

$1,900 €1,690

-34.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 NZ$3,818

$3,654 €3,250

-40.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 NZ$2,968

$2,704 €2,405

-37.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,400 NZ$13.1K

$6,129 €5,452

20.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,541 NZ$9,799

$4,623 €4,112

19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,012 NZ$5,328

$2,929 €2,605

2.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.68

45.92%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 19, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.5%

Galway

$1.9K 58.1% 53.3% $661

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$344 14%

Galway

$366 11.2% 6.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$266 10.8%

Galway

$312 9.6% 17.5% $46

Eating Out

Auckland

$243 9.9%

Galway

$366 11.2% 50.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$147 6%

Galway

$170 5.2% 15.6% $23

Getting Around

Auckland

$146 6%

Galway

$83 2.5% 43.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$70 2.8%

Galway

$71 2.2% 1.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,324 in Auckland and $2,293 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Auckland vs $114 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $366 per month, with Auckland cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

08:23 8:23 AM

12 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

75,529

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Galway 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
Galway

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

Auckland vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auckland wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Galway. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Auckland the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Auckland, 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: $1,324 in Auckland versus $2,293 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,118 in Auckland versus $996 in Galway. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,456 in Auckland versus $3,268 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Auckland but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Auckland the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Auckland delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Auckland hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland 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 Auckland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.