Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Letterkenny

For one person, living is cheaper in Letterkenny: $2,007 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Letterkenny
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Letterkenny Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Letterkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Letterkenny

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,007 in Letterkenny.

Galway $3,184
Letterkenny $2,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,068 in Letterkenny.

Galway $4,539
Letterkenny $3,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,129 in Letterkenny.

Galway $5,895
Letterkenny $4,129

Living in Galway is roughly 59% more expensive than in Letterkenny, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Letterkenny 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.36

$19.32 €17.31

17.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$68.8 €61.6

60.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.74

$13.34 €11.95

23.39%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.42

$4.64 €4.16

6.47%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.66 €2.38

9.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.30 €2.06

0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.33 €5.67

24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$6.67 €5.98

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.60 €1.44

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.85 €1.66

26.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.42 €1.27

59.15%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$5.45 €4.88

-20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.67

$8.33 €7.46

96.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.79

$12.55 €11.24

-12.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €11.99

$13.07 €11.70

2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$4.21 €3.77

-27.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.66 €2.38

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$4.01 €3.59

-22.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$4.10 €3.67

-1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$3.33 €2.98

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.14 €1.02

28.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.29 €1.16

1.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.27 €2.03

-19.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.27

$20.32 €18.20

0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.55

$13.29 €11.90

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$3.04 €2.73

28.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$3.94 €3.53

13.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.96 €4.44

-58.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

$71.6 €64.1

-7.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.56 €4.98

-5.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$4.02 €3.60

-64.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.56

$24.62 €22.05

124.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.94 €1.73

10.82%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.2K €34.2K

-0.50%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$33.1K €29.7K

16.02%

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

$245 €220

$162 €145

51.18%

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

$21.31 €19.08

$20.89 €18.71

2.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.99

$45.38 €40.64

13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.53

$53.6 €48.00

-15.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.04

$22.76 €20.39

-1.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.78

$9.97 €8.93

31.90%

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

$990 €887

$247 €221

301.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,034

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$87.4 €78.3

14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.75

$36.96 €33.10

29.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$92.2 €82.6

17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$95.5 €85.5

21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,082

$1,055 €945

120.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$775 €694

133.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,165

$1,588 €1,423

122.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,448

$1,356 €1,215

101.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,898

$2,237 €2,003

94.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,977

$1,678 €1,503

98.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,627

$1,886 €1,689

55.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.6

2.22%

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Letterkenny: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Letterkenny

$775 38.6% 57.2% $1K

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Letterkenny

$315 15.7% 13.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Letterkenny

$357 17.8% 1.8% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Letterkenny

$229 11.4% 28.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Letterkenny

$140 7% 16.3% $27

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Letterkenny

$117 5.8% 34.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Letterkenny

$74 3.7% 2.8% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,324 in Galway and $1,055 in Letterkenny. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 56% 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 $69 in Letterkenny for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $357 per month, with Letterkenny cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Letterkenny

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

22,549

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Letterkenny: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Letterkenny is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 56% 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 $1,055 in Letterkenny. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $247 in Letterkenny. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Letterkenny – a meal for two runs $69 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. Letterkenny 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 Letterkenny are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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