Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Birmingham: $2,505 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
Learn more

Birmingham Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index

Jump to prices

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,505 per month in Birmingham vs $3,184 in Galway, rent included.

Birmingham $2,505
Galway $3,184

A couple spends around $3,602 per month in Birmingham vs $4,539 in Galway, rent included.

Birmingham $3,602
Galway $4,539

A family of three spends $4,700 per month in Birmingham vs $5,895 in Galway, rent included.

Birmingham $4,700
Galway $5,895

Birmingham is about 21% cheaper than Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Birmingham and Galway sit above the global median – Birmingham by 84%, Galway by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 £14.85

$22.73 €20.36

-12.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £69.7

$110 €98.9

-15.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 £6.90

$16.46 €14.74

-43.86%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.76

$4.94 €4.42

2.02%

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

$2.75 £2.05

$2.92 €2.61

-5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.47

$2.31 €2.07

-14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 £5.37

$7.89 €7.07

-8.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.90

$6.63 €5.94

-1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.43

$1.59 €1.42

20.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.34 €2.10

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 £1.94

$2.26 €2.02

15.04%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.93

$4.31 €3.86

-8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 £6.59

$16.38 €14.67

-46.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 £6.57

$10.93 €9.79

-19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 £11.23

$13.39 €11.99

12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$3.06 €2.74

-16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.17 €1.95

-17.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 £2.03

$3.10 €2.78

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 £2.90

$4.05 €3.63

-4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.33

$2.06 €1.85

-13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.47 €1.32

17.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.82 €1.63

-12.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.11 £16.51

$20.40 €18.27

8.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 £9.02

$14.02 €12.55

-13.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.79

$3.91 €3.50

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 £2.67

$4.46 €4.00

-19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 £3.03

$2.07 €1.85

96.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £70.7

$66.4 €59.5

42.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 £3.81

$5.27 €4.72

-3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.42 €1.27

65.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.97 £17.90

$55.3 €49.56

-56.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.57

$2.15 €1.92

-2.33%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$38.0K €34.1K

1.69%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$38.4K €34.4K

5.76%

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

$319 £239

$245 €220

30.15%

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

$21.51 £16.06

$21.31 €19.08

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.25 £36.78

$51.4 €45.99

-4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.63 £25.11

$45.26 €40.53

-25.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.44 £22.73

$22.38 €20.04

36.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 £11.96

$13.15 €11.78

21.83%

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

$1,657 £1,237

$990 €887

67.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K £18.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.8

$100 €89.9

5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.90 £37.26

$47.73 €42.75

4.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £89.7

$109 €97.4

10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 £113

$116 €104

29.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 £1,046

$2,324 €2,082

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £818

$1,812 €1,623

-39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 £1,518

$3,534 €3,165

-42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 £1,201

$2,733 €2,448

-41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 £3,781

$4,352 €3,898

16.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,238 £3,164

$3,324 €2,977

27.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,441 £3,316

$2,933 €2,627

51.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

3.68

38.32%

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

Last update for Birmingham: October 25, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8%

Galway

$1.8K 56.9% 65.3% $716

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham

$390 15.6%

Galway

$318 10% 18.5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham

$318 12.7%

Galway

$363 11.4% 14.1% $45

Eating Out

Birmingham

$315 12.6%

Galway

$364 11.4% 15.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham

$192 7.7%

Galway

$168 5.3% 12.5% $24

Getting Around

Birmingham

$128 5.1%

Galway

$87 2.7% 31.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham

$66 2.6%

Galway

$72 2.3% 9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in Birmingham versus $2,324 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 51% higher in Birmingham, 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 $93 in Birmingham versus $110 in Galway. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $363 – making Birmingham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Birmingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,036,878

75,529

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Birmingham Galway 490 km

From you

Birmingham
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

Birmingham vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,505 in Birmingham, $3,184 in Galway – Birmingham comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,757 per month in Birmingham and $4,775 in Galway. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birmingham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $2,324 in Galway.

Kindergarten costs $1,657 per month in Birmingham and $990 in Galway. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Galway, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Birmingham, where all-in costs run around $2,505, than in Galway at $3,184. In Birmingham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galway it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Galway has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,505 in Birmingham to $3,184 in Galway. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.