Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Malahide

For one person, living costs are similar in Galway and in Malahide: $3,184 and $3,240 a month, rent and utilities included.

153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Malahide
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Malahide Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Malahide

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Malahide

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $3,240 in Malahide.

Galway $3,184
Malahide $3,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $4,056 in Malahide.

Galway $4,539
Malahide $4,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,872 in Malahide.

Galway $5,895
Malahide $4,872

Monthly costs are close between Galway and Malahide; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Malahide 138% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$19.84 €17.78

14.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$90.7 €81.3

21.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$11.52 €10.32

42.88%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$4.02 €3.61

22.89%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.40 €2.15

21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.26 €2.02

2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.74 €6.04

17.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$6.67 €5.97

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.42 €1.27

11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.35 €2.10

-0.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.98 €1.77

14.14%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$4.61 €4.13

-6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$9.27 €8.31

76.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$11.97 €10.72

-8.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$13.07 €11.72

2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.92 €2.62

4.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.19 €1.96

-0.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.05 €2.73

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$4.72 €4.23

-14.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.13 €1.91

-3.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.41 €1.26

4.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 €1.06

11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.69 €1.52

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$21.51 €19.28

-5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$12.42 €11.13

12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$3.13 €2.80

24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$4.04 €3.62

10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.41 €2.16

-14.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$5.64 €5.05

-6.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.30 €1.16

9.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$34.80 €31.18

59.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.00 €1.79

7.50%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$35.8K €32.1K

6.28%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$33.2K €29.7K

15.88%

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

$245 €220

$255 €228

-3.63%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$19.11 €17.13

11.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$51.0 €45.67

0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$66.8 €59.9

-32.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$11.94 €10.70

10.13%

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

$990 €887

$1,127 €1,010

-12.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,725 €5,130

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$108 €97.0

-7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$40.41 €36.21

18.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$104 €93.4

4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$99.9 €89.5

16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,593 €1,427

45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$2,000 €1,792

-9.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$2,550 €2,285

38.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$2,100 €1,882

30.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$3,231 €2,895

2.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

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 Malahide: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Malahide

$2K 61.7% 10.4% $188

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Malahide

$307 9.5% 15.6% $57

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Malahide

$337 10.4% 7.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Malahide

$325 10% 2.1% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Malahide

$159 4.9% 5.4% $9

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Malahide

$22 * 0.7% 75% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Malahide

$91 2.8% 26.7% $19

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 $1,593 in Malahide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $91 in Malahide for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $337 per month, with Malahide cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Malahide

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

18,608

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Galway Malahide 190 km

From you

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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 Malahide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $4,775 in Galway and $4,861 in Malahide to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,324 in Galway versus $1,593 in Malahide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Malahide – a meal for two runs $91 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $1,127 in Malahide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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