Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Derry, Ireland

For one person, living is cheaper in Derry: $2,515 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Derry

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Derry

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,515 in Derry.

Galway $3,184
Derry $2,515

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,028 in Derry.

Galway $4,539
Derry $3,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $3,541 in Derry.

Galway $5,895
Derry $3,541

Living in Galway is roughly 27% more expensive than in Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Derry 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.36

$20.72 €18.55

9.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$52.6 €47.14

109.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.74

$9.12 €8.17

80.48%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.42

$4.50 €4.03

9.78%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$1.67 €1.49

74.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.61 €1.44

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.28 €4.73

49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$6.62 €5.93

0.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.54 €1.38

3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.48 €1.33

58.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.01 €1.80

12.44%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$3.45 €3.09

24.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.67

$13.14 €11.76

24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.79

$9.96 €8.92

9.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €11.99

$13.20 €11.82

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.96 €2.65

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.56 €1.40

39.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.15 €2.82

-1.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$4.04 €3.62

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.05 €0.94

96.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.36 €1.22

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.04 €0.93

25.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.84 €1.65

-1.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.27

$20.70 €18.54

-1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.55

$10.27 €9.20

36.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$2.31 €2.07

69.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$2.57 €2.30

73.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.51 €2.25

-17.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.26 €4.71

0.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.44 €1.29

-1.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.56

$56.8 €50.9

-2.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.08 €1.86

3.37%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.3K €34.3K

-0.76%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$38.3K €34.3K

0.33%

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

$245 €220

$244 €219

0.53%

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

$21.31 €19.08

$21.20 €18.99

0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.99

$50.4 €45.15

1.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.53

$34.99 €31.34

29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.04

$25.97 €23.26

-13.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.78

$12.98 €11.63

1.31%

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

$990 €887

$1,180 €1,056

-16.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,539 €4,961

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$101 €90.7

-0.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.75

$47.33 €42.39

0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$97.5 €87.4

11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$72.2 €64.7

60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,082

$1,599 €1,432

45.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,365 €1,223

32.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,165

$1,344 €1,204

162.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,448

$1,103 €988

147.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,898

$2,303 €2,062

88.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,977

$3,403 €3,048

-2.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,627

$2,650 €2,374

10.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Derry

$1.4K 54.3% 24.7% $447

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Derry

$300 11.9% 17.7% $64

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Derry

$307 12.2% 15.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Derry

$316 12.6% 0.7% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Derry

$143 5.7% 14.6% $25

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Derry

$22 * 0.9% 74.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Derry

$61 2.4% 14.8% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,324 in Galway and $1,599 in Derry. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $53 in Derry for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $307 per month, with Derry cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Derry

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

85,016

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Galway Derry 220 km

From you

Galway
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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 Derry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Derry is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% 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: $2,324 in Galway versus $1,599 in Derry. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,184 per month in Galway versus $2,515 in Derry – Derry is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Derry 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 Derry are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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