Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Chelmsford Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Chelmsford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,128 in Galway versus $2,462 in Chelmsford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,347 in Galway versus $3,898 in Chelmsford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,566 in Galway versus $5,334 in Chelmsford.

Living in Galway is roughly 27% more expensive than Chelmsford, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 133% above, Chelmsford 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 €15.77

$20.20 £15.02

-9.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.4 €81.2

$82.1 £61.0

14.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 €8.94

$9.40 £6.99

10.53%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.65

$4.54 £3.37

-6.39%

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

$2.42 €2.08

$3.01 £2.23

-19.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.40

$1.88 £1.40

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €5.79

$7.40 £5.50

-9.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.35 €5.46

$6.39 £4.75

-0.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.71 £1.27

-12.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 €2.22

$1.91 £1.42

35.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.89 £1.41

13.76%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.38

$3.57 £2.65

10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 €10.83

$9.68 £7.20

30.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 €9.13

$9.39 £6.98

13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.09 €10.40

$16.48 £12.25

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.50

$2.39 £1.78

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.79

$1.26 £0.94

65.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.46

$3.43 £2.55

-16.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 €3.00

$4.81 £3.57

-27.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.23

$1.63 £1.21

-12.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.26

$1.33 £0.99

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 €1.20

$1.15 £0.86

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.36

$1.66 £1.24

-4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.77 €17.01

$19.18 £14.26

3.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.39 €12.38

$12.21 £9.08

17.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.99 €4.30

$2.84 £2.11

75.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.35

$3.71 £2.76

36.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.91

$4.06 £3.02

-45.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 €59.3

$71.5 £53.1

-3.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.32

$4.80 £3.57

4.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.68 £1.25

-20.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.73 €37.61

$26.68 £19.83

63.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.80

$1.94 £1.44

7.73%

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

$42.2K €36.3K

$35.6K £26.4K

18.49%

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

$39.1K €33.7K

$38.0K £28.3K

2.93%

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

$285 €245

$206 £153

37.88%

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

$21.92 €18.85

$15.29 £11.36

43.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 €47.74

$35.30 £26.24

57.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €49.16

$52.7 £39.17

8.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.68 €7.47

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 €11.87

$13.41 £9.97

2.91%

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

$1,066 €917

$1,386 £1,030

-23.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 €6,835

$12.7K £9,441

-37.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 €78.4

$103 £76.8

-11.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.06 €34.46

$42.94 £31.91

-6.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €86.4

$114 £84.6

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €91.8

$120 £89.0

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 €1,725

$1,445 £1,074

38.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 €1,483

$1,232 £916

39.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,380 €2,907

$2,760 £2,052

22.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,165

$2,562 £1,904

-1.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,193 €5,327

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,705 €4,047

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 €2,777

$3,245 £2,412

-0.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

5.73

-16.23%

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

Last update for Galway: June 1, 2026

Last update for Chelmsford: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,005 in Galway and $1,445 in Chelmsford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $94.0 in Galway vs $82.0 in Chelmsford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $319 per month, with Chelmsford cheaper across the board.

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 Chelmsford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galway and Chelmsford differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($3,128 vs $2,462 including rent). Chelmsford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Chelmsford earns 1% less. 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: $2,005 in Galway versus $1,445 in Chelmsford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,066 in Galway versus $1,386 in Chelmsford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Chelmsford is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Galway and Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.