Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Mallow

For one person, living is cheaper in Mallow: $2,536 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Mallow
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Mallow Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Mallow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Mallow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,536 in Mallow.

Galway $3,184
Mallow $2,536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,588 in Mallow.

Galway $4,539
Mallow $3,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,641 in Mallow.

Galway $5,895
Mallow $4,641

Living in Galway is roughly 26% more expensive than in Mallow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Mallow 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.37

$15.46 €13.85

47.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.9

$78.6 €70.5

40.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.75

$12.08 €10.82

36.26%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.43

$3.92 €3.52

26.02%

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

$2.92 €2.61

$2.88 €2.58

1.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.28 €2.04

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.04 €5.42

30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.94

$4.37 €3.91

51.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.40 €1.25

13.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.43 €2.18

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.52 €1.37

48.68%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.86

$2.96 €2.65

45.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.68

$10.14 €9.08

61.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.80

$11.01 €9.86

-0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.00

$11.76 €10.54

13.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.82 €2.53

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.29 €2.06

-5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.79 €2.50

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.63

$5.09 €4.56

-20.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$0.85 €0.77

142.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.64 €0.57

129.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.36 €1.22

-3.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.79 €0.71

130.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.28

$21.46 €19.23

-4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.56

$13.52 €12.11

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.50

$3.31 €2.96

18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.00

$3.57 €3.20

24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.40 €2.15

-13.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

$140 €126

-52.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$4.99 €4.47

5.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.49 €1.34

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.59

$37.89 €33.95

46.05%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

-0.98%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$39.0K €35.0K

-1.58%

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

$245 €220

$247 €221

-0.48%

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

$21.31 €19.09

$14.72 €13.19

44.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.01

$50.3 €45.04

2.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.55

$65.7 €58.9

-31.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.79

$11.15 €9.99

17.94%

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

$990 €887

$826 €740

19.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,238 €4,694

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.9

$106 €95.3

-5.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.77

$49.69 €44.52

-3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$115 €103

-5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$129 €116

-10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,083

$1,359 €1,217

71.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,623

$1,216 €1,090

48.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,167

$2,037 €1,825

73.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,780 €1,595

53.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,900

$1,122 €1,006

287.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

$3,481 €3,119

-4.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,629

$3,287 €2,946

-10.77%

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 Mallow: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Mallow

$1.2K 48% 32.9% $596

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Mallow

$267 10.5% 26.8% $98

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Mallow

$311 12.3% 14.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Mallow

$312 12.3% 2% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Mallow

$180 7.1% 7.4% $12

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Mallow

$162 6.4% 86.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Mallow

$88 3.5% 23% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,324 in Galway and $1,359 in Mallow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mallow pays 12% 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 $79 in Mallow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $311 per month, with Mallow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Mallow

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

13,456

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Galway Mallow 130 km

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Galway
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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 Mallow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mallow is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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 $1,359 in Mallow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mallow – a meal for two runs $79 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. Mallow 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.