Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Maynooth

For one person, living is cheaper in Galway: $3,270 a month against $3,666 in Maynooth, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
179

Cost of Living Index in Maynooth
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Maynooth Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Maynooth

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Maynooth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,270 in Galway versus $3,666 in Maynooth.

Galway $3,270
Maynooth $3,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,565 in Galway versus $5,465 in Maynooth.

Galway $4,565
Maynooth $5,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,860 in Galway versus $7,263 in Maynooth.

Galway $5,860
Maynooth $7,263

Living in Galway costs roughly 11% less than in Maynooth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 142% above, Maynooth 172% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$22.36 €19.89

1.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €97.6

$101 €90.2

8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.68 €14.84

$12.56 €11.17

32.80%

Cappuccino

$4.79 €4.26

$4.30 €3.83

11.40%

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

$2.87 €2.56

$2.98 €2.65

-3.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.21 €1.96

4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 €7.15

$7.10 €6.32

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.12

$7.22 €6.42

-4.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.65 €1.47

-4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.44 €2.17

-2.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.04 €1.81

10.78%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$4.66 €4.15

-6.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$9.88 €8.79

68.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 €9.82

$12.46 €11.08

-11.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 €11.72

$16.09 €14.31

-18.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$3.28 €2.92

-7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.92 €2.60

-23.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$3.40 €3.03

-12.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$4.88 €4.34

-14.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.18 €1.94

-5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.53 €1.36

-0.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.39 €1.23

-7.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.09 €1.86

-13.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.14 €17.91

$20.38 €18.13

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 €12.49

$13.57 €12.07

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.52

$3.42 €3.04

15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €3.97

$3.54 €3.15

25.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.42 €3.04

-38.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

$122 €109

-49.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 €4.51

$5.08 €4.52

-0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.53 €1.36

-6.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.9 €50.6

$33.09 €29.43

71.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.14 €1.90

-2.34%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-0.56%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$38.8K €34.5K

-6.17%

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

$246 €219

$243 €216

1.12%

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

$20.84 €18.53

$22.08 €19.64

-5.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.71

$55.1 €49.00

-8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.60 €38.77

$58.4 €52.0

-25.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

$22.38 €19.91

0.89%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 €14.71

$13.44 €11.95

23.07%

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

$1,010 €898

$1,072 €954

-5.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.4

$93.1 €82.8

6.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.19 €42.86

$49.91 €44.39

-3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.4

$107 €94.9

3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$118 €105

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 €1,987

$2,470 €2,196

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 €1,687

$2,236 €1,988

-15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$5,539 €4,926

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 €2,400

$4,011 €3,568

-32.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,965 €5,306

$6,223 €5,534

-4.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,111

$6,200 €5,514

-25.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 €2,584

$4,256 €3,785

-31.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.14

-11.11%

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

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maynooth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58%

Maynooth

$2.2K 61% 17.9% $339

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$365 11.2%

Maynooth

$371 10.1% 1.8% $6.4

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.1%

Maynooth

$339 9.2% 6.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$317 9.7%

Maynooth

$321 8.7% 1.1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.1%

Maynooth

$165 4.5% 1.2% $2.1

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Maynooth

$149 4.1% 79.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$77 2.3%

Maynooth

$85 2.3% 11.3% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,234 in Galway and $2,470 in Maynooth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maynooth pays 46% 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 $101 in Maynooth. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $371, with Galway cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Maynooth

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

17,259

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Maynooth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galway is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Maynooth. 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: $2,234 in Galway versus $2,470 in Maynooth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Maynooth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Galway – a meal for two runs $110 versus $101 in Maynooth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

For families, Galway is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Maynooth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Galway and Maynooth 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 Galway gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Maynooth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.