Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castlebar and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Castlebar: $2,675 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Castlebar
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Castlebar Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Castlebar

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,675

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,675 in Castlebar versus $3,268 in Galway.

Castlebar $2,675
Galway $3,268

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,567 in Castlebar versus $4,575 in Galway.

Castlebar $3,567
Galway $4,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Castlebar versus $5,881 in Galway.

Castlebar $4,459
Galway $5,881

Living in Castlebar costs roughly 18% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Castlebar 97% above, Galway 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.25 €14.45

$22.87 €20.34

-28.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 €86.0

$114 €101

-15.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 €9.54

$16.74 €14.89

-35.90%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.38

$4.97 €4.42

-23.54%

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

$2.10 €1.86

$3.01 €2.68

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.19 €1.95

-42.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$7.74 €6.89

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 €4.57

$6.78 €6.03

-24.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.63 €1.45

1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.36 €2.10

-37.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.28 €2.03

9.65%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$4.38 €3.89

-7.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$16.87 €15.01

-83.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 €3.95

$10.88 €9.68

-59.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 €6.11

$13.29 €11.82

-48.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.05 €2.71

10.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.18 €1.94

-14.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$3.03 €2.70

8.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$4.10 €3.65

-30.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.43

$1.98 €1.76

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.55 €1.38

-55.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.32 €1.17

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.83 €1.63

25.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.07 €13.40

$20.25 €18.01

-25.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 €10.86

$13.76 €12.24

-11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.13 €3.67

9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$4.58 €4.07

-4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 €2.85

$2.10 €1.86

52.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$145 €129

$61.7 €54.9

134.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$5.39 €4.79

-18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.44 €1.28

-0.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.21 €16.20

$55.0 €48.93

-66.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.78

$2.16 €1.92

-6.94%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.6K €34.3K

1.90%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$38.5K €34.3K

-13.63%

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

$241 €215

$241 €214

0.30%

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

$24.77 €22.03

$20.86 €18.56

18.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.41

$50.7 €45.08

9.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.63 €44.14

$44.14 €39.26

12.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.93 €30.18

$22.15 €19.70

53.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.34 €10.09

$13.32 €11.85

-14.86%

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

$996 €886

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,217 €4,641

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.7

$102 €90.4

9.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 €29.48

$47.57 €42.32

-30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.3

$113 €100

-9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 €1,440

$2,293 €2,040

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 €1,311

$1,900 €1,690

-22.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,995 €1,775

$3,654 €3,250

-45.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 €1,562

$2,704 €2,405

-35.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,370 €2,997

$6,129 €5,452

-45.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,320 €3,842

$2,929 €2,605

47.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.68

13.32%

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

Last update for Castlebar: October 18, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castlebar

$1.5K 55.1%

Galway

$1.9K 58.1% 28.9% $426

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castlebar

$322 12%

Galway

$312 9.6% 3% $9.5

Eating Out

Castlebar

$265 9.9%

Galway

$366 11.2% 38.3% $101

Groceries & Markets

Castlebar

$263 9.8%

Galway

$366 11.2% 39.2% $103

Getting Around

Castlebar

$169 6.3%

Galway

$83 2.5% 51.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Castlebar

$111 * 4.1%

Galway

$170 5.2% 54.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Castlebar

$72 2.7%

Galway

$71 2.2% 2.1% $1.5

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 $1,618 in Castlebar and $2,293 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castlebar pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $97.0 in Castlebar vs $114 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $366 per month, with Castlebar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Castlebar

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

Same time as Castlebar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,054

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Castlebar Galway 67 km

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Castlebar
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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

Castlebar vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castlebar and Galway differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,675 vs $3,268 including rent). Castlebar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Castlebar, 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: $1,618 in Castlebar versus $2,293 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castlebar – a meal for two runs $97.0 versus $114 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Castlebar runs roughly 134% less than in Galway. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Castlebar 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, Castlebar 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 Castlebar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.