Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Dundalk

For one person, living is cheaper in Dundalk: $2,531 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Dundalk
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Dundalk Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Dundalk

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Dundalk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,531 in Dundalk.

Galway $3,184
Dundalk $2,531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,726 in Dundalk.

Galway $4,539
Dundalk $3,726

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,922 in Dundalk.

Galway $5,895
Dundalk $4,922

Living in Galway is roughly 26% more expensive than in Dundalk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Dundalk 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$18.08 €16.20

25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$89.8 €80.4

23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$12.31 €11.03

33.71%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$3.88 €3.48

27.32%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.06 €1.84

41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.27 €1.14

81.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.78 €6.07

16.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$5.43 €4.87

22.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.39 €1.25

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.93 €0.83

151.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.35 €1.21

67.41%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$4.54 €4.07

-5.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$13.92 €12.47

17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$13.20 €11.83

-17.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$16.55 €14.83

-19.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.18 €1.96

40.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.25 €2.02

-3.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.26 €2.03

37.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$4.87 €4.37

-16.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.10 €0.99

87.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.80 €1.61

-18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.41 €1.26

-7.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.16 €1.93

-15.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$19.78 €17.72

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$13.50 €12.09

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$4.15 €3.72

-5.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$3.50 €3.13

27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.28 €2.04

-9.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

$112 €101

-40.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.21 €4.67

1.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.42 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$18.55 €16.62

198.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.06 €1.85

4.37%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.4K €34.4K

-0.93%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$33.2K €29.7K

15.79%

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

$245 €220

$235 €211

4.24%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$21.48 €19.25

-0.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$55.5 €49.76

-7.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$48.91 €43.83

-7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

$25.01 €22.41

-10.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$13.18 €11.81

-0.23%

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

$990 €887

$1,092 €978

-9.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,208 €4,667

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$96.4 €86.4

4.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$27.90 €25.00

71.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$66.5 €59.6

63.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$121 €108

-3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,734 €1,553

34.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,228 €1,100

47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$2,466 €2,210

43.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,993 €1,786

37.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

$5,598 €5,016

-22.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$5,128 €4,595

-35.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

$2,477 €2,219

18.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.14

-11.11%

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dundalk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Dundalk

$1.2K 48.5% 32.2% $584

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Dundalk

$286 11.3% 21.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Dundalk

$355 14% 2.2% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Dundalk

$312 12.4% 1.8% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Dundalk

$140 5.5% 16.5% $28

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Dundalk

$134 5.3% 53.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Dundalk

$75 3% 5.2% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,324 in Galway and $1,734 in Dundalk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 18% 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 $90 in Dundalk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $355 per month, with Dundalk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Dundalk

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

43,112

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Dundalk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dundalk is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% 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 $1,734 in Dundalk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Galway runs roughly 41% less than in Dundalk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,184 per month in Galway versus $2,531 in Dundalk – Dundalk is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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