Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Carlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlow: $2,548 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
Learn more

Carlow Living Index

Jump to prices

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Carlow

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

A single person spends $3,268 per month in Galway vs $2,548 in Carlow, rent included.

Galway $3,268
Carlow $2,548

A couple spends around $4,575 per month in Galway vs $3,814 in Carlow, rent included.

Galway $4,575
Carlow $3,814

A family of three spends $5,881 per month in Galway vs $5,081 in Carlow, rent included.

Galway $5,881
Carlow $5,081

Galway costs about 28% more than Carlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Galway and Carlow sit above the global median – Galway by 141%, Carlow by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 €20.34

$21.01 €18.69

8.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$90.7 €80.7

25.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.74 €14.89

$13.10 €11.65

27.79%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$4.25 €3.78

16.94%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$2.67 €2.37

12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.22 €1.97

-1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 €6.89

$7.41 €6.59

4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$6.54 €5.82

3.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.64 €1.46

-0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.99 €1.77

18.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.91 €1.69

19.37%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$4.35 €3.87

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 €15.01

$13.47 €11.98

25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.68

$12.81 €11.39

-15.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$14.43 €12.84

-7.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$3.19 €2.84

-4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.00 €2.67

-27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$3.33 €2.96

-9.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$3.29 €2.92

24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.37 €2.11

-16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.76 €1.57

-11.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.44 €1.28

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.33 €1.19

37.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.01

$18.84 €16.76

7.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 €12.24

$13.53 €12.04

1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.67

$4.27 €3.80

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.07

$3.43 €3.05

33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.86

$1.25 €1.11

68.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.7 €54.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 €4.79

$5.11 €4.55

5.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.54 €1.37

-6.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.0 €48.93

$32.43 €28.85

69.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.09 €1.86

3.35%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$38.6K €34.4K

-0.07%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$38.1K €33.9K

1.06%

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

$241 €214

$243 €216

-0.96%

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

$20.86 €18.56

$22.26 €19.80

-6.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.08

$56.4 €50.2

-10.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.14 €39.26

$78.8 €70.1

-44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$56.1 €49.93

-60.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.85

$13.59 €12.09

-1.99%

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

$996 €886

$1,052 €936

-5.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.4

$95.3 €84.8

6.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 €42.32

$42.63 €37.92

11.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$101 €89.8

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$102 €90.3

15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 €2,040

$1,441 €1,282

59.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,261 €1,121

50.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$2,596 €2,310

40.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 €2,405

$2,152 €1,914

25.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,129 €5,452

$5,664 €5,038

8.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

$6,675 €5,937

-30.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,929 €2,605

$2,351 €2,091

24.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

-8.00%

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

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58.1%

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5% 33.7% $640

Eating Out

Galway

$366 11.2%

Carlow

$328 12.9% 10.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$366 11.2%

Carlow

$361 14.2% 1.5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$312 9.6%

Carlow

$322 12.6% 3% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$170 5.2%

Carlow

$153 6% 10.1% $17

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Carlow

$18 * 0.7% 78.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$71 2.2%

Carlow

$106 4.2% 49.8% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,293 in Galway versus $1,441 in Carlow. 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 25% 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 $114 in Galway versus $91.0 in Carlow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $361 – making Carlow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Carlow

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

27,351

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galway Carlow 150 km

From you

Galway
Carlow

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 Carlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Galway is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,902 per month in Galway and $3,822 in Carlow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,268 in Galway and $2,548 in Carlow. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in Galway and $1,052 in Carlow. 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 Carlow, where all-in costs run around $2,548, than in Galway at $3,268. In Carlow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galway it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Carlow – 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 Carlow. 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.