Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Birmingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Birmingham: $2,505 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
Learn more

Birmingham Living Index

Jump to prices

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Birmingham

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

A single person spends $3,184 per month in Galway vs $2,505 in Birmingham, rent included.

Galway $3,184
Birmingham $2,505

A couple spends around $4,539 per month in Galway vs $3,602 in Birmingham, rent included.

Galway $4,539
Birmingham $3,602

A family of three spends $5,895 per month in Galway vs $4,700 in Birmingham, rent included.

Galway $5,895
Birmingham $4,700

Galway costs about 27% more than Birmingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galway and Birmingham sit above the global median – Galway by 134%, Birmingham by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$19.89 £14.86

14.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$93.4 £69.8

18.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$9.24 £6.91

78.14%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$5.04 £3.76

-1.98%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.75 £2.06

6.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.97 £1.47

17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.19 £5.37

9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$6.56 £4.90

1.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.92 £1.43

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.98 £1.48

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.60 £1.94

-13.08%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$3.93 £2.93

9.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$8.83 £6.60

85.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$8.80 £6.58

24.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$15.04 £11.24

-10.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.56 £1.91

19.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.80 £1.34

20.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.72 £2.03

13.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$3.88 £2.90

4.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.79 £1.33

15.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.72 £1.28

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.44 £1.07

-9.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.59 £1.19

14.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$22.11 £16.52

-7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$12.08 £9.02

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$3.74 £2.80

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$3.58 £2.68

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.06 £3.03

-49.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

$94.7 £70.7

-29.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.10 £3.81

3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.35 £1.76

-39.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$23.97 £17.91

130.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.10 £1.57

2.38%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.7K £28.9K

-1.66%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$40.6K £30.4K

-5.45%

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

$245 €220

$319 £239

-23.16%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$21.51 £16.07

-0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$49.25 £36.80

4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$33.63 £25.13

34.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

$30.44 £22.74

-26.48%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$16.02 £11.97

-17.92%

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

$990 €887

$1,657 £1,238

-40.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K £18.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$106 £78.8

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$49.90 £37.28

-4.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$120 £89.7

-9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$151 £113

-23.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,401 £1,047

65.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,096 £819

65.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$2,034 £1,519

73.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,609 £1,202

69.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

$5,064 £3,783

-14.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$4,238 £3,166

-21.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

$4,441 £3,317

-33.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.09

-27.70%

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8% 39.5% $716

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Birmingham

$315 12.6% 13.4% $49

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Birmingham

$318 12.7% 12.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Birmingham

$390 15.6% 22.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Birmingham

$192 7.7% 14.3% $24

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Birmingham

$128 5.1% 46.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Birmingham

$66 2.6% 8.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,324 in Galway versus $1,401 in Birmingham. 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 51% higher in Birmingham, 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 $93 in Birmingham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $318 – making Birmingham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

1,036,878

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galway Birmingham 490 km

From you

Galway
Birmingham

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 Birmingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,184 in Galway, $2,505 in Birmingham – Birmingham comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,775 per month in Galway and $3,757 in Birmingham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birmingham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $2,324 in Galway.

Kindergarten costs $990 per month in Galway and $1,657 in Birmingham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Galway, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Birmingham, where all-in costs run around $2,505, than in Galway at $3,184. In Birmingham 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 $2,505 in Birmingham to $3,184 in Galway. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.