Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Balbriggan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balbriggan: $2,642 a month against $3,138 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Galway outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

152

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,138

/mo nomad

Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Balbriggan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,138 in Galway versus $2,642 in Balbriggan.

Galway $3,138
Balbriggan $2,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,521 in Galway versus $3,945 in Balbriggan.

Galway $4,521
Balbriggan $3,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,904 in Galway versus $5,248 in Balbriggan.

Galway $5,904
Balbriggan $5,248

Living in Galway is roughly 19% more expensive than in Balbriggan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 132% above, Balbriggan 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.75

$23.05 €20.62

-4.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €101

$102 €91.0

10.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.59 €14.85

$13.25 €11.86

25.21%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.42

$4.87 €4.36

1.44%

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

$2.98 €2.67

$3.00 €2.68

-0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.26 €2.02

-3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 €7.18

$7.74 €6.93

3.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.69 €5.99

$8.02 €7.18

-16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.65 €1.48

-1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.32 €2.07

-2.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.96 €1.75

12.76%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.78

$3.02 €2.70

40.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.54 €14.80

$9.89 €8.85

67.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.83

$12.79 €11.44

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 €12.00

$15.91 €14.24

-15.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.86 €2.55

8.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.19 €1.96

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.72 €2.44

9.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 €3.66

$5.27 €4.71

-22.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.92 €1.71

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.53 €1.37

-1.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.37 €1.23

-7.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.03 €1.81

-6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.46 €18.31

$21.33 €19.09

-4.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 €12.67

$13.39 €11.98

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.53

$2.83 €2.53

39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.94

$2.50 €2.24

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.41 €2.15

-14.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €59.0

$134 €120

-50.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 €4.43

$5.02 €4.49

-1.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.49 €1.33

1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.96 €27.70

$38.34 €34.31

-19.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.10 €1.88

-1.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.4K €34.3K

0.93%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$37.9K €33.9K

-0.38%

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

$238 €213

$169 €151

41.02%

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

$20.74 €18.56

$16.54 €14.80

25.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 €44.74

$44.38 €39.72

12.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.88 €41.05

$53.9 €48.19

-14.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.59 €20.21

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.92

$13.57 €12.14

-1.84%

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

$990 €886

$1,253 €1,122

-21.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,205 €4,658

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 €88.3

$107 €96.1

-8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 €42.95

$28.48 €25.49

68.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.1

$61.6 €55.1

79.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$131 €117

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 €2,064

$1,588 €1,421

45.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 €1,593

$1,319 €1,180

34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,642 €3,259

$2,562 €2,292

42.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,750 €2,460

$2,162 €1,935

27.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 €3,667

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,152 €2,820

$3,396 €3,039

-7.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,887 €2,583

$2,323 €2,079

24.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.81

-3.41%

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

Last update for Galway: November 3, 2026

Last update for Balbriggan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.7%

Balbriggan

$1.3K 49.9% 25.9% $461

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$364 11.6%

Balbriggan

$350 13.3% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Galway

$360 11.5%

Balbriggan

$358 13.6% 0.4% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$308 9.8%

Balbriggan

$229 8.7% 25.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$167 5.3%

Balbriggan

$148 5.6% 11.3% $19

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.8%

Balbriggan

$156 5.9% 79.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$73 2.3%

Balbriggan

$81 3.1% 11.7% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,307 in Galway and $1,588 in Balbriggan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $113 in Galway vs $102 in Balbriggan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $350 per month, with Balbriggan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

24,322

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Balbriggan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,138 in Galway and $2,642 in Balbriggan, so Balbriggan is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $2,307 in Galway versus $1,588 in Balbriggan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Balbriggan – a meal for two runs $102 versus $113 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,642 in Balbriggan versus $3,138 in Galway, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Balbriggan but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Balbriggan 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.

It comes down to priorities – Balbriggan wins on affordability, Galway on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.