Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Killarney

For one person, living is cheaper in Killarney: $2,513 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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 Killarney
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Killarney Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Killarney

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Killarney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,513 in Killarney.

Galway $3,184
Killarney $2,513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,305 in Killarney.

Galway $4,539
Killarney $3,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,098 in Killarney.

Galway $5,895
Killarney $4,098

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$22.23 €19.92

2.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$90.4 €81.0

22.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$11.15 €10.00

47.62%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$3.94 €3.53

25.38%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$3.01 €2.70

-2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.18 €1.95

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.38 €5.72

23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$7.01 €6.28

-5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.25 €1.12

27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.17 €1.94

7.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.24 €1.11

82.26%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$2.33 €2.09

84.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$10.21 €9.15

60.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$7.59 €6.80

44.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$9.27 €8.31

44.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.85 €2.55

7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.01 €1.80

7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$1.76 €1.58

76.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$1.72 €1.54

135.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.65 €1.48

24.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 €1.03

27.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 €0.98

19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.54 €1.38

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$17.05 €15.28

19.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$10.45 €9.37

34.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$2.86 €2.56

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$2.29 €2.06

94.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.19 €1.96

-5.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$3.36 €3.01

56.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.45 €1.30

-2.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$37.19 €33.33

48.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.01 €1.80

6.97%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$39.1K €35.0K

-2.70%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$34.0K €30.5K

13.00%

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

$245 €220

$230 €207

6.51%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$18.22 €16.33

16.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$52.3 €46.84

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$79.1 €70.9

-42.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$14.31 €12.83

-8.11%

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

$990 €887

$846 €758

17.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,240 €4,695

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$83.4 €74.7

20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$38.44 €34.45

24.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$112 €101

-3.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$76.8 €68.8

51.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,275 €1,143

82.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,363 €1,221

32.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$1,850 €1,658

91.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,518 €1,360

80.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$3,521 €3,155

-5.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

$3,149 €2,821

-6.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.81

-3.41%

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Killarney: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Killarney

$1.4K 54.2% 24.8% $449

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Killarney

$325 13% 10.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Killarney

$257 10.2% 29.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Killarney

$301 12% 5.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Killarney

$140 5.6% 16.6% $28

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Killarney

$19 * 0.8% 77.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Killarney

$108 4.3% 50.6% $36

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 $1,275 in Killarney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Killarney pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $90 in Killarney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $257 per month, with Killarney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Killarney

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

14,412

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Galway Killarney 140 km

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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 Killarney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Galway. 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: $2,324 in Galway versus $1,275 in Killarney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $846 in Killarney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Killarney – a meal for two runs $90 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Killarney 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 Killarney are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.