Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $3,331 per month in Galway vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Galway $3,331
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,673 per month in Galway vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Galway $4,673
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,015 per month in Galway vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Galway $6,015
Budapest $3,489

Galway costs about 105% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galway and Budapest sit above the global median – Galway by 149%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$13.99 Ft 4,551

63.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

86.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.73

$9.96 Ft 3,241

65.76%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$3.38 Ft 1,100

47.34%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.13 Ft 692

40.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.87 Ft 608

23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$3.75 Ft 1,221

109.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.17

$3.57 Ft 1,162

93.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.13 Ft 368

46.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.84 Ft 599

29.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.39 Ft 777

-8.37%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.80

$3.83 Ft 1,245

11.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.18

$11.33 Ft 3,686

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$6.74 Ft 2,192

64.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.84 Ft 597

69.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.01 Ft 653

8.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.36 Ft 767

32.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$3.77 Ft 1,226

10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.96 Ft 313

113.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.03 Ft 334

44.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.56 Ft 509

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.66 Ft 216

189.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.07

$7.96 Ft 2,591

154.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.48

$6.01 Ft 1,954

132.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.64

$1.30 Ft 421

213.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$2.08 Ft 676

114.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.50 Ft 489

43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.7

$27.61 Ft 8,982

125.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$3.30 Ft 1,074

60.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.30 Ft 424

13.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.56

$19.78 Ft 6,436

180.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.81 Ft 591

15.47%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

34.62%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

9.73%

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

$246 €219

$170 Ft 55.3K

44.49%

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

$21.02 €18.76

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-12.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.20

$23.42 Ft 7,621

121.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.74

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-32.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.73

$19.18 Ft 6,239

15.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.09

$9.52 Ft 3,098

77.63%

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

$1,019 €909

$537 Ft 174.6K

89.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.34

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$113 Ft 36.7K

-1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$119 Ft 38.6K

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,001

$805 Ft 262.0K

178.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,705

$629 Ft 204.7K

203.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,259

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

135.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,390

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

129.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,341

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

6.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,066

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

14.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,627

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

81.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

6.43

-42.77%

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

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 67.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 30.4% $113

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 38.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 31.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 48.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,243 in Galway versus $805 in Budapest. 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 81% higher in Galway, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $112 in Galway versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

1 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Galway Budapest 2,080 km ≈ 3 h 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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Galway is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,997 per month in Galway and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 126% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,019 per month in Galway and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Galway at $3,331. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galway it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Galway makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.