Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Galway Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Galway

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,425 in Chelmsford versus $3,012 in Galway.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,901 in Chelmsford versus $4,270 in Galway.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,377 in Chelmsford versus $5,527 in Galway.

Living in Chelmsford costs roughly 20% less than in Galway, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chelmsford 81% above, Galway 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 £15.01

$18.43 €16.12

9.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 £59.9

$95.6 €83.7

-15.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 £6.91

$10.29 €9.01

-9.72%

Cappuccino

$4.48 £3.33

$4.17 €3.65

7.43%

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

$2.91 £2.17

$2.31 €2.02

25.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 £1.43

$1.61 €1.41

19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 £5.68

$6.96 €6.09

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 £4.84

$6.49 €5.68

0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.50 €1.32

18.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 £1.36

$2.55 €2.23

-28.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.20 €1.92

-10.00%

Eggs

$3.53 £2.62

$4.00 €3.50

-11.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 £7.17

$12.49 €10.93

-22.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 £7.14

$10.50 €9.18

-8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 £12.37

$12.15 €10.63

36.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 £1.83

$3.02 €2.65

-18.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.92

$2.00 €1.75

-38.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 £2.67

$2.83 €2.47

26.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 £3.57

$3.40 €2.98

41.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.44 €1.26

13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.43 €1.25

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.38 €1.21

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.67 €1.46

4.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.99 £14.13

$19.25 €16.85

-1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 £8.95

$14.02 €12.26

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.03

$4.76 €4.16

-42.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 £2.72

$4.99 €4.37

-26.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 £2.99

$2.32 €2.03

73.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 £53.5

$69.5 €60.8

3.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 £3.60

$5.05 €4.42

-4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.38 €1.21

21.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.36 £19.61

$42.64 €37.30

-38.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.40

$2.00 €1.75

-6.00%

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

$36.1K £26.9K

$41.6K €36.4K

-13.23%

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

$39.3K £29.2K

$39.0K €34.1K

0.82%

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

$210 £156

$280 €245

-24.84%

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

$15.36 £11.43

$21.89 €19.15

-29.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.24 £26.21

$54.9 €48.03

-35.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 £39.28

$56.3 €49.28

-6.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.62 €7.54

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 £9.96

$13.77 €12.05

-2.69%

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

$1,376 £1,023

$1,074 €940

28.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K £9,269

$8,143 €7,125

53.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 £77.3

$88.9 €77.8

16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.16 £31.36

$40.24 €35.21

4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.7

$103 €90.0

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 £90.0

$108 €94.8

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 £1,071

$1,977 €1,729

-27.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 £901

$1,781 €1,558

-31.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,781 £2,069

$3,265 €2,856

-14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 £1,907

$2,522 €2,207

1.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,224 €5,445

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,731 €4,139

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,304 £2,458

$3,060 €2,677

7.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.73

4.8

19.38%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: July 13, 2026

Last update for Galway: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,441 in Chelmsford and $1,977 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Chelmsford vs $96.0 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $342 per month, with Chelmsford cheaper across the board.

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

Chelmsford vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chelmsford and Galway differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,425 vs $3,012 including rent). Chelmsford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Chelmsford, 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: $1,441 in Chelmsford versus $1,977 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,376 in Chelmsford versus $1,074 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 $2,425 in Chelmsford versus $3,012 in Galway, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Chelmsford but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Chelmsford the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.