Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Chelmsford: $2,509 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Chelmsford
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Chelmsford Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Chelmsford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,509 in Chelmsford versus $3,270 in Galway.

Chelmsford $2,509
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,892 in Chelmsford versus $4,565 in Galway.

Chelmsford $3,892
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,275 in Chelmsford versus $5,860 in Galway.

Chelmsford $5,275
Galway $5,860

Living in Chelmsford costs roughly 23% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chelmsford 86% above, Galway 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.94 £20.21

$22.70 €20.19

18.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 £44.23

$110 €97.6

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 £6.86

$16.68 €14.84

-45.20%

Cappuccino

$4.65 £3.49

$4.79 €4.26

-2.92%

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

$3.07 £2.31

$2.87 €2.56

6.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.30 €2.05

-25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 £5.39

$8.04 €7.16

-10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 £5.30

$6.88 €6.12

2.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.58 €1.40

5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 £1.70

$2.37 €2.11

-4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$2.26 €2.01

23.45%

Eggs

$3.48 £2.61

$4.38 €3.89

-20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 £6.10

$16.67 €14.83

-51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 £6.29

$11.04 €9.82

-24.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 £10.62

$13.18 €11.72

7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 £1.70

$3.05 €2.72

-25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 £1.09

$2.23 €1.98

-34.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 £2.74

$2.97 €2.65

23.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 £2.48

$4.17 €3.71

-20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.05 €1.82

-12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.52 €1.36

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.29 €1.15

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.81 €1.61

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.50 £16.88

$20.14 €17.91

11.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 £9.01

$14.04 €12.49

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.96 €3.52

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.60

$4.46 €3.97

-22.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.95 £2.96

$2.10 €1.87

88.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 £51.8

$62.4 €55.5

10.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.58

$5.07 €4.51

-5.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.43 €1.27

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.93 £20.20

$56.9 €50.6

-52.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.09 €1.86

-2.87%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$39.1K €34.8K

-3.25%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$36.4K €32.4K

10.56%

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

$261 £196

$246 €219

6.25%

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

$14.64 £10.98

$20.84 €18.54

-29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.74 £26.07

$50.3 €44.71

-30.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 £37.93

$43.60 €38.78

15.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 £12.84

$16.54 €14.71

3.51%

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

$1,881 £1,412

$1,010 €898

86.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K £9,885

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.9 £74.2

$99.4 €88.5

-0.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.37 £32.53

$48.19 €42.86

-10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 £71.8

$111 €98.4

-13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 £64.5

$114 €101

-24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 £1,182

$2,234 €1,987

-29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 £898

$1,897 €1,687

-36.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 £2,024

$3,654 €3,251

-26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 £1,883

$2,698 €2,400

-6.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,965 €5,306

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 £2,200

$2,905 €2,584

0.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

3.68

41.58%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: 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

Chelmsford

$1.2K 47.7%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 58.4% $699

Eating Out

Chelmsford

$368 14.7%

Galway

$364 11.1% 1.1% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chelmsford

$311 12.4%

Galway

$317 9.7% 2% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Chelmsford

$305 12.1%

Galway

$365 11.2% 19.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chelmsford

$146 5.8%

Galway

$168 5.1% 14.9% $22

Getting Around

Chelmsford

$98 3.9%

Galway

$83 2.5% 15.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chelmsford

$85 3.4%

Galway

$77 2.3% 9.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,575 in Chelmsford and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Chelmsford vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $365 per month, with Chelmsford cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chelmsford

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

Same time as Chelmsford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,194

75,529

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chelmsford Galway 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chelmsford
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

Chelmsford vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chelmsford and Galway differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,509 vs $3,270 including rent). Chelmsford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $1,575 in Chelmsford versus $2,234 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,881 in Chelmsford versus $1,010 in Galway. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Chelmsford 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, 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 30% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.