Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Arklow: $2,554 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Arklow

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

A single person spends $3,184 per month in Galway vs $2,554 in Arklow, rent included.

Galway $3,184
Arklow $2,554

A couple spends around $4,539 per month in Galway vs $3,690 in Arklow, rent included.

Galway $4,539
Arklow $3,690

A family of three spends $5,895 per month in Galway vs $4,827 in Arklow, rent included.

Galway $5,895
Arklow $4,827

Galway costs about 25% more than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Galway and Arklow sit above the global median – Galway by 134%, Arklow by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$22.19 €19.88

2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$88.4 €79.3

24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$11.33 €10.15

45.28%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$4.20 €3.76

17.62%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.95 €2.64

-1.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.22 €1.99

4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.38 €4.82

46.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$5.37 €4.81

23.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.71 €1.54

-7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.27 €2.04

3.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.86 €1.67

21.51%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$4.48 €4.02

-3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$14.23 €12.75

15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$12.88 €11.54

-15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$16.78 €15.03

-20.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$3.32 €2.97

-7.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$3.00 €2.69

-27.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.35 €3.01

-7.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$4.72 €4.23

-14.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.36 €2.11

-12.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.82 €1.63

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.40 €1.26

-6.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.10 €1.88

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$19.86 €17.79

2.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$13.35 €11.96

5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$4.06 €3.64

-3.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$3.58 €3.21

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.27 €2.04

-8.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.18 €4.64

1.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.54 €1.38

-7.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$32.70 €29.30

69.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.14 €1.92

0.47%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.3K €34.3K

-0.76%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

2.42%

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

$245 €220

$244 €219

0.49%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$21.79 €19.53

-2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$55.4 €49.62

-7.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$59.4 €53.2

-23.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$13.29 €11.91

-1.05%

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

$990 €887

$1,077 €965

-8.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,279 €4,731

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$95.8 €85.8

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$43.42 €38.90

9.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$106 €95.2

2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$121 €108

-4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,484 €1,330

56.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,250 €1,120

44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$2,796 €2,505

26.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,909 €1,711

43.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$3,844 €3,445

-13.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

$4,869 €4,363

-39.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.14

-11.11%

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Arklow

$1.2K 48.9% 31% $562

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Arklow

$320 12.5% 12.1% $44

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Arklow

$390 15.3% 7.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Arklow

$321 12.6% 1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Arklow

$165 6.5% 1.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Arklow

$22 * 0.9% 74.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Arklow

$86 3.4% 20.1% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,324 in Galway versus $1,484 in Arklow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% higher in Arklow, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Galway versus $88 in Arklow. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Galway vs $390 in Arklow – so Galway wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

13,399

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Galway Arklow 200 km

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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

Galway vs Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,184 in Galway, $2,554 in Arklow – Arklow comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,775 per month in Galway and $3,831 in Arklow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arklow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,484 there versus $2,324 in Galway.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Galway and $88 in Arklow. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Galway – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Arklow, where all-in costs run around $2,554, than in Galway at $3,184. In Arklow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galway it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Galway has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,554 in Arklow to $3,184 in Galway. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.