Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Letterkenny

For one person, living is cheaper in Letterkenny: $1,993 a month against $2,483 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Drachten outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Letterkenny
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Letterkenny Living Index

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Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,483

/mo nomad

Letterkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Drachten and in Letterkenny

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Drachten and in Letterkenny actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,483 in Drachten versus $1,993 in Letterkenny.

Drachten $2,483
Letterkenny $1,993

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Drachten versus $3,043 in Letterkenny.

Drachten $3,657
Letterkenny $3,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Drachten versus $4,092 in Letterkenny.

Drachten $4,831
Letterkenny $4,092

Living in Drachten is roughly 25% more expensive than in Letterkenny, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Drachten 84% above, Letterkenny 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.26 €21.58

$18.77 €16.70

29.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 €75.0

$66.6 €59.2

26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.05

$13.28 €11.81

2.03%

Cappuccino

$3.98 €3.54

$4.53 €4.03

-12.14%

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

$3.62 €3.22

$2.54 €2.26

42.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.75

$2.19 €1.95

41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$6.02 €5.36

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.05

$6.52 €5.80

-12.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.61 €1.43

-27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.86 €1.65

-27.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.40 €1.25

13.57%

Eggs

$5.00 €4.45

$5.19 €4.61

-3.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 €11.07

$8.28 €7.36

50.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 €11.80

$12.62 €11.23

5.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 €10.74

$12.83 €11.41

-5.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.12 €3.66

-54.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.63 €2.34

-5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.98 €3.54

-52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$3.99 €3.55

-21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$3.42 €3.04

-52.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.09 €0.97

44.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.29 €1.15

-0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.57

$2.24 €1.99

-70.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 €7.97

$19.90 €17.70

-54.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$13.49 €12.00

-49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.02 €2.68

-51.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.35

$3.85 €3.42

-31.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 €3.00

$5.10 €4.54

-33.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.0 €80.1

$73.5 €65.4

22.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.73

$5.64 €5.02

-25.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.71

$4.10 €3.65

-25.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.31 €43.86

$24.31 €21.62

102.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.01

$1.88 €1.68

20.74%

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

$41.5K €36.9K

$38.6K €34.4K

7.51%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$34.1K €30.3K

9.29%

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

$276 €246

$163 €145

69.57%

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

$24.01 €21.35

$20.51 €18.24

17.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.46 €44.00

$45.27 €40.26

9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 €36.55

$52.6 €46.76

-21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.13 €19.68

$22.51 €20.02

-1.69%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 €14.25

$10.17 €9.04

57.52%

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

$2,305 €2,050

$244 €217

845.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,889 €7,018

$10.2K €9,030

-22.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 €52.5

$85.7 €76.2

-31.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.14 €39.26

$36.23 €32.22

21.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 €77.7

$91.7 €81.6

-4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$94.3 €83.9

43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,272

$1,046 €930

36.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 €1,027

$773 €687

49.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 €2,120

$1,571 €1,397

51.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,355 €1,205

40.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,428 €4,829

$2,239 €1,992

142.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,379 €3,895

$1,701 €1,513

157.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,515 €2,237

$1,905 €1,695

32.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

3.6

19.44%

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

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Last update for Letterkenny: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5%

Letterkenny

$773 38.8% 33.1% $382

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drachten

$350 14.1%

Letterkenny

$229 11.5% 34.6% $121

Eating Out

Drachten

$349 14.1%

Letterkenny

$307 15.4% 12.3% $43

Groceries & Markets

Drachten

$286 11.5%

Letterkenny

$354 17.8% 23.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Drachten

$147 5.9%

Letterkenny

$139 7% 5.6% $8.2

Getting Around

Drachten

$123 5%

Letterkenny

$120 6% 2.3% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Drachten

$73 3%

Letterkenny

$73 3.7% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Drachten and $1,046 in Letterkenny. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays 32% 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: $84.0 in Drachten vs $67.0 in Letterkenny. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $354, with Drachten cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Drachten

🇮🇪 Letterkenny

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

1 h behind Drachten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,186

22,549

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Drachten Letterkenny 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Drachten
Letterkenny

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

Drachten vs Letterkenny: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Letterkenny is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Drachten, 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: $1,430 in Drachten versus $1,046 in Letterkenny. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,305 in Drachten versus $244 in Letterkenny. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Drachten pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,993 in Letterkenny versus $2,483 in Drachten, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Letterkenny but tight or insufficient in Drachten. The gap between the two cities makes Letterkenny 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, Drachten and Letterkenny 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 Letterkenny gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Drachten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.