Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in Auckland: $2,456 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Auckland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,268 in Galway versus $2,456 in Auckland.

Galway $3,268
Auckland $2,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,575 in Galway versus $3,418 in Auckland.

Galway $4,575
Auckland $3,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,881 in Galway versus $4,380 in Auckland.

Galway $5,881
Auckland $4,380

Living in Galway is roughly 33% more expensive than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 141% above, Auckland 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 €20.34

$13.98 NZ$24.72

63.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$67.0 NZ$119

69.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.74 €14.89

$9.31 NZ$16.47

79.81%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$3.41 NZ$6.03

45.75%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$2.03 NZ$3.59

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.83 NZ$3.23

19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 €6.89

$6.76 NZ$11.95

14.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$6.77 NZ$11.97

0.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.91 NZ$3.39

-14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.19 NZ$3.87

7.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.92 NZ$3.39

18.75%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$6.26 NZ$11.06

-30.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 €15.01

$8.74 NZ$15.46

93.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.68

$9.97 NZ$17.64

9.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$17.57 NZ$31.08

-24.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.98 NZ$5.26

2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.16 NZ$3.83

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$3.02 NZ$5.33

0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$5.97 NZ$10.56

-31.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.52 NZ$2.69

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.09 NZ$1.93

67.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.01

$27.07 NZ$47.87

-25.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 €12.24

$10.15 NZ$17.95

35.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.67

$2.85 NZ$5.04

44.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.07

$3.29 NZ$5.82

39.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.52 NZ$4.46

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.7 €54.9

$124 NZ$219

-50.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 €4.79

$2.30 NZ$4.06

134.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-28.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.0 €48.93

$32.82 NZ$58.0

67.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.88 NZ$3.33

14.89%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$27.4K NZ$48.4K

41.07%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

77.17%

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

$241 €214

$187 NZ$331

28.74%

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

$20.86 €18.56

$27.07 NZ$47.87

-22.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.08

$51.8 NZ$91.5

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.14 €39.26

$45.41 NZ$80.3

-2.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$17.99 NZ$31.82

23.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.85

$12.12 NZ$21.43

9.90%

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

$996 €886

$1,118 NZ$1,977

-10.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.4

$80.0 NZ$142

27.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 €42.32

$40.37 NZ$71.4

17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$95.4 NZ$169

18.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$112 NZ$198

4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 €2,040

$1,324 NZ$2,341

73.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,239 NZ$2,192

53.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$2,159 NZ$3,818

69.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 €2,405

$1,678 NZ$2,968

61.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,129 €5,452

$7,400 NZ$13.1K

-17.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

$5,541 NZ$9,799

-16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,929 €2,605

$3,012 NZ$5,328

-2.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.37

-31.47%

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

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58.1%

Auckland

$1.2K 50.5% 34.8% $661

Eating Out

Galway

$366 11.2%

Auckland

$243 9.9% 33.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$366 11.2%

Auckland

$344 14% 5.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$312 9.6%

Auckland

$266 10.8% 14.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$170 5.2%

Auckland

$147 6% 13.5% $23

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Auckland

$146 6% 77.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$71 2.2%

Auckland

$70 2.8% 1.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Galway and $1,324 in Auckland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $114 in Galway vs $67.0 in Auckland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $344 per month, with Auckland cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

08:44 8:44 AM

12 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

1,463,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Galway Auckland 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auckland wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Galway. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Auckland the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Auckland. 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: $2,293 in Galway versus $1,324 in Auckland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $996 in Galway versus $1,118 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,456 in Auckland versus $3,268 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Auckland but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Auckland the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Auckland delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Auckland hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Galway and Auckland 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 Auckland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.