Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,268 in Galway versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Galway $3,268
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,575 in Galway versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Galway $4,575
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,881 in Galway versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Galway $5,881
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Galway is roughly 48% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 141% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 €20.34

$17.04 €15.15

34.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$62.3 €55.4

82.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.74 €14.89

$11.02 €9.80

51.91%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$3.12 €2.78

59.29%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$2.27 €2.02

32.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.74 €1.55

25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 €6.89

$3.42 €3.04

126.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$3.74 €3.33

81.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.17 €1.04

39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.86 €1.66

26.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 €1.37

48.05%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$4.06 €3.61

7.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 €15.01

$12.91 €11.49

30.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.68

$7.90 €7.03

37.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$17.64 €15.69

-24.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.26 €2.01

34.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.75 €1.55

24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.89 €1.68

60.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$2.56 €2.27

60.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.85 €1.64

7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.97 €1.75

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.45 €1.29

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.77 €0.69

137.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.01

$6.71 €5.97

201.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 €12.24

$5.67 €5.04

142.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.67

$1.37 €1.22

201.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.07

$2.11 €1.88

117.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.32 €2.07

-9.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.7 €54.9

$44.43 €39.52

38.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 €4.79

$3.95 €3.51

36.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.05 €0.93

37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.0 €48.93

$17.15 €15.26

220.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.19 €1.95

-1.37%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

14.28%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

0.67%

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

$241 €214

$164 €146

46.88%

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

$20.86 €18.56

$18.48 €16.43

12.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.08

$32.96 €29.32

53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.14 €39.26

$45.87 €40.80

-3.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$18.68 €16.61

18.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.85

$9.75 €8.67

36.62%

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

$996 €886

$684 €608

45.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.4

$104 €92.3

-2.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 €42.32

$46.20 €41.09

2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$99.7 €88.7

12.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$125 €111

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 €2,040

$1,589 €1,414

44.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,169 €1,040

62.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$2,851 €2,536

28.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 €2,405

$1,993 €1,773

35.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,129 €5,452

$7,793 €6,932

-21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

$4,418 €3,930

4.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,929 €2,605

$1,600 €1,423

83.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.85

-4.42%

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

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 38.5% $731

Eating Out

Galway

$366 11.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 32.4% $118

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$366 11.2%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 25.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$312 9.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 31% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$170 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 23.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$71 2.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 7.7% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Galway and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 83% 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: $114 in Galway vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galway Lisbon 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galway
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 83% 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: $2,293 in Galway versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $114 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,268 in Galway, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon 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 Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.