Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Athlone: $2,542 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Athlone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,270 in Galway versus $2,542 in Athlone.

Galway $3,270
Athlone $2,542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,565 in Galway versus $3,749 in Athlone.

Galway $4,565
Athlone $3,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,860 in Galway versus $4,956 in Athlone.

Galway $5,860
Athlone $4,956

Living in Galway is roughly 29% more expensive than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 142% above, Athlone 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$22.37 €19.90

1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €97.6

$91.0 €80.9

20.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.68 €14.84

$12.63 €11.23

32.07%

Cappuccino

$4.79 €4.26

$4.32 €3.84

10.88%

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

$2.87 €2.56

$2.92 €2.60

-1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.84 €1.64

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 €7.15

$7.41 €6.59

8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.12

$6.55 €5.82

5.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.46 €1.30

8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.26 €1.12

88.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.66 €1.48

36.14%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$3.91 €3.48

12.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$10.73 €9.55

55.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 €9.82

$11.27 €10.02

-2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 €11.72

$11.85 €10.53

11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$2.55 €2.27

19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.56 €1.39

42.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.41 €2.14

23.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.85 €2.53

46.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.29 €2.03

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.81 €1.61

-16.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-10.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.90 €1.69

-4.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.14 €17.91

$17.88 €15.90

12.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 €12.49

$11.10 €9.87

26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.52

$3.44 €3.06

15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €3.97

$3.58 €3.18

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.06 €1.83

1.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 €4.51

$5.08 €4.52

-0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.49 €1.32

-4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.9 €50.6

$27.77 €24.70

104.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.03 €1.80

2.96%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$39.6K €35.2K

-1.31%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$36.8K €32.7K

-1.09%

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

$246 €219

$241 €214

2.18%

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

$20.84 €18.53

$21.86 €19.45

-4.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.71

$49.22 €43.78

2.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.60 €38.77

$58.5 €52.1

-25.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

$34.69 €30.85

-34.91%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 €14.71

$10.95 €9.74

51.05%

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

$1,010 €898

$1,001 €891

0.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.4

$92.9 €82.6

7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.19 €42.86

$40.88 €36.36

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.4

$83.6 €74.4

32.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$77.7 €69.1

46.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 €1,987

$1,468 €1,306

52.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 €1,687

$1,353 €1,203

40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$2,529 €2,249

44.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 €2,400

$2,254 €2,005

19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,965 €5,306

$3,294 €2,930

81.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,111

$3,340 €2,971

38.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 €2,584

$3,153 €2,804

-7.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.73

-1.34%

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

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58%

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2% 28.7% $544

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$365 11.2%

Athlone

$305 12% 16.4% $60

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.1%

Athlone

$338 13.3% 7.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$317 9.7%

Athlone

$312 12.3% 1.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.1%

Athlone

$133 5.2% 20.7% $35

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Athlone

$21 * 0.8% 75% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$77 2.3%

Athlone

$80 3.2% 4.9% $3.8

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 $2,234 in Galway and $1,468 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $91.0 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $305 per month, with Athlone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

21,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Galway Athlone 75 km

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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 Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Galway. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athlone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Athlone. 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: $2,234 in Galway versus $1,468 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $3,270 per month in Galway versus $2,542 in Athlone – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,542 in Athlone versus $3,270 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athlone but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Athlone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athlone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,542 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athlone hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Galway and Athlone 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 Athlone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.