Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Istanbul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Galway versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Galway $3,331
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,673 in Galway versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Galway $4,673
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,015 in Galway versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Galway $6,015
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Galway is roughly 118% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 149% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$11.88 ₺585

92.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$55.1 ₺2,714

103.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.73

$9.14 ₺450

80.63%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$4.24 ₺209

17.45%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.75 ₺86.0

70.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.54 ₺26.83

327.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$4.69 ₺231

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.17

$5.97 ₺294

15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.26 ₺62.1

30.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.14

$0.95 ₺46.81

151.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.31 ₺114

-5.19%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.80

$2.47 ₺122

72.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.18

$10.55 ₺520

61.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$5.60 ₺276

98.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$21.21 ₺1,045

-36.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.93 ₺95.1

61.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.29 ₺113

-4.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.28 ₺63.1

144.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$1.84 ₺90.8

127.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.67 ₺32.86

205.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.59 ₺29.31

152.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.33 ₺65.4

-0.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.59 ₺29.10

223.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.07

$2.36 ₺116

758.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.48

$13.47 ₺664

3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.64

$2.42 ₺119

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$3.54 ₺174

26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.83 ₺40.64

159.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.7

$66.5 ₺3,273

-6.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$1.35 ₺66.6

291.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.85 ₺42.05

74.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.56

$10.86 ₺535

411.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.47 ₺72.3

42.18%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-23.52%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-15.80%

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

$246 €219

$89.2 ₺4,395

175.22%

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

$21.02 €18.76

$11.60 ₺572

81.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.20

$16.10 ₺793

221.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.74

$77.3 ₺3,805

-42.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.73

$22.66 ₺1,116

-2.47%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.09

$8.34 ₺411

102.76%

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

$1,019 €909

$974 ₺48.0K

4.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$52.7 ₺2,597

92.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.34

$39.16 ₺1,929

24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$103 ₺5,083

8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$96.6 ₺4,759

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,001

$994 ₺49.0K

125.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,705

$629 ₺31.0K

203.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,259

$2,024 ₺99.7K

80.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,390

$1,155 ₺56.9K

131.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,341

$3,160 ₺155.7K

89.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,066

$1,838 ₺90.5K

147.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,627

$1,203 ₺59.3K

144.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

41.09

-91.04%

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

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 67.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 28.7% $106

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 40.6% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 63.3% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22.3% $38

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 9.9% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 19.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,243 in Galway and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 145% 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: $112 in Galway vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

2 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Galway Istanbul 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galway
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 145% 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: $2,243 in Galway versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $3,331 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Galway and Istanbul 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 Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.