Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derry and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Derry: $2,484 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Derry

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,484

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,484 in Derry versus $3,270 in Galway.

Derry $2,484
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,000 in Derry versus $4,565 in Galway.

Derry $3,000
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,516 in Derry versus $5,860 in Galway.

Derry $3,516
Galway $5,860

Living in Derry costs roughly 24% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Derry 84% above, Galway 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.52 €18.25

$22.70 €20.19

-9.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 €45.58

$110 €97.6

-53.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 €8.35

$16.68 €14.84

-43.71%

Cappuccino

$4.44 €3.95

$4.79 €4.26

-7.31%

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

$1.64 €1.46

$2.87 €2.56

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.30 €2.05

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.60

$8.04 €7.16

-35.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$6.88 €6.12

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.58 €1.40

-6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.37 €2.11

-37.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.26 €2.01

-8.85%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.02

$4.38 €3.89

-22.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.23 €11.77

$16.67 €14.83

-20.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 €8.93

$11.04 €9.82

-9.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 €11.73

$13.18 €11.72

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$3.05 €2.72

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.23 €1.98

-27.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.97 €2.65

2.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.69

$4.17 €3.71

-0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.05 €1.82

-50.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.52 €1.36

-6.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.29 €1.15

-20.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.81 €1.61

2.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 €18.42

$20.14 €17.91

2.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 €9.14

$14.04 €12.49

-26.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$3.96 €3.52

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$4.46 €3.97

-41.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.10 €1.87

23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 €4.63

$5.07 €4.51

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.43 €1.27

-1.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.0 €49.78

$56.9 €50.6

-1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.09 €1.86

-5.74%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$39.1K €34.8K

-1.26%

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

$36.9K €32.8K

$36.4K €32.4K

1.23%

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

$243 €216

$246 €219

-1.39%

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

$21.14 €18.81

$20.84 €18.54

1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 €44.90

$50.3 €44.71

0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.93 €31.96

$43.60 €38.78

-17.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.84 €22.99

$22.58 €20.09

14.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 €11.58

$16.54 €14.71

-21.28%

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

$1,196 €1,064

$1,010 €898

18.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,163 €4,592

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.9

$99.4 €88.5

1.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.64 €43.26

$48.19 €42.86

0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €87.9

$111 €98.4

-10.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.9 €64.8

$114 €101

-36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,574 €1,400

$2,234 €1,987

-29.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 €1,187

$1,897 €1,687

-29.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 €1,176

$3,654 €3,251

-63.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 €965

$2,698 €2,400

-59.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,310 €2,055

$5,965 €5,306

-61.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 €1,514

$4,623 €4,112

-63.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,599 €2,312

$2,905 €2,584

-10.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

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

Last update for Derry: October 12, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Derry

$1.3K 53.8%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 42.1% $562

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derry

$314 12.7%

Galway

$317 9.7% 0.9% $2.9

Groceries & Markets

Derry

$307 12.4%

Galway

$365 11.2% 18.8% $58

Eating Out

Derry

$298 12%

Galway

$364 11.1% 22.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Derry

$145 5.8%

Galway

$168 5.1% 15.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Derry

$62 2.5%

Galway

$77 2.3% 23.7% $15

Getting Around

Derry

$23 * 0.9%

Galway

$83 2.5% 266% $60

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 $1,574 in Derry and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $51.0 in Derry vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $365 per month, with Derry cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Derry

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

Same time as Derry

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,016

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Derry Galway 220 km

From you

Derry
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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

Derry vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Derry is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Galway. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,574 in Derry versus $2,234 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,484 per month in Derry versus $3,270 in Galway – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,484 in Derry versus $3,270 in Galway, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Derry but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Derry the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Derry is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Derry 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 Derry gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.