Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Athens

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 Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Galway versus $1,806 in Athens.

Galway $3,331
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,673 in Galway versus $2,731 in Athens.

Galway $4,673
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,015 in Galway versus $3,656 in Athens.

Galway $6,015
Athens $3,656

Living in Galway is roughly 84% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 149% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.40

$16.66 €14.85

37.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$66.2 €59.0

69.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.72

$11.06 €9.86

49.28%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$4.14 €3.69

20.29%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.80 €2.50

6.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.57 €0.51

305.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$5.64 €5.03

39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.16

$5.46 €4.86

26.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.96 €1.74

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.41 €1.25

69.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.83 €2.53

-22.61%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.79

$5.04 €4.49

-15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.17

$15.35 €13.68

10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.91

$10.34 €9.22

7.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.08

$18.97 €16.92

-28.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.17 €1.93

43.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.91 €1.70

14.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.38 €1.23

126.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.20 €1.96

90.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.10 €0.98

86.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.13 €1.00

31.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.10 €0.98

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.83 €0.74

130.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.06

$5.60 €4.99

261.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.47

$10.19 €9.08

37.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.63

$2.18 €1.95

86.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$2.45 €2.18

82.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.38 €1.23

55.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.6

$30.87 €27.52

102.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$4.37 €3.90

21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.04 €0.93

42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.52

$17.11 €15.26

224.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.31 €2.06

-9.52%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

41.09%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

33.59%

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

$246 €219

$210 €187

17.07%

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

$21.02 €18.74

$26.70 €23.80

-21.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.16

$30.13 €26.86

71.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.71

$54.6 €48.68

-18.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.71

$26.03 €23.21

-15.10%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.07

$10.78 €9.61

56.86%

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

$1,019 €908

$575 €513

77.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.7

$93.2 €83.1

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.30

$40.68 €36.27

19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.4

$104 €92.8

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$128 €114

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,000

$756 €674

196.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,703

$652 €582

192.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,256

$1,294 €1,153

182.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,388

$1,163 €1,037

130.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,336

$4,008 €3,574

49.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,062

$3,452 €3,078

31.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,624

$1,243 €1,109

136.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.48

-17.86%

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

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Athens

$652 36.5% 65.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 15% $56

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Athens

$269 15% 26.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Athens

$267 14.9% 16.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 2.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Athens

$46 2.6% 45.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 2.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,243 in Galway and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 137% 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: $112 in Galway vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

2 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Galway Athens 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Galway. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Galway, 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: $2,243 in Galway versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,331 per month in Galway versus $1,806 in Athens – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,331 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Galway and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.