Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Galway versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Galway $3,331
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,673 in Galway versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Galway $4,673
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,015 in Galway versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Galway $6,015
Medellin $3,139

Living in Galway is roughly 110% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 149% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$8.01 COP 25.5K

185.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$46.55 COP 148.3K

141.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.73

$9.43 COP 30.1K

75.08%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$2.91 COP 9,277

71.13%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.75 COP 5,585

70.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.32 COP 4,218

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$3.13 COP 9,969

150.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.17

$5.55 COP 17.7K

24.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.41 COP 4,495

17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.44 COP 7,777

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.63 COP 5,191

34.36%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.80

$2.82 COP 8,990

51.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.18

$9.69 COP 30.9K

75.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$9.32 COP 29.7K

19.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$13.46 COP 42.9K

0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.48 COP 4,719

47.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.12 COP 6,768

47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.25 COP 7,178

85.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.91 COP 6,092

7.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.62 COP 5,160

-8.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 COP 3,658

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.26 COP 4,021

51.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.07

$3.82 COP 12.2K

430.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.48

$13.11 COP 41.8K

6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.64

$1.60 COP 5,083

154.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$2.26 COP 7,188

97.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.17 COP 3,731

83.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.7

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-16.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$1.27 COP 4,056

316.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.05 COP 6,531

-27.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.56

$8.20 COP 26.1K

577.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.27 COP 4,046

64.57%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

47.45%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

8.78%

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

$246 €219

$162 COP 516.9K

51.38%

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

$21.02 €18.76

$13.12 COP 41.8K

60.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.20

$28.09 COP 89.5K

84.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.74

$44.33 COP 141.2K

0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.73

$16.33 COP 52.0K

35.33%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.09

$6.09 COP 19.4K

177.67%

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

$1,019 €909

$764 COP 2.4M

33.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$85.0 COP 270.8K

19.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.34

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-15.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$132 COP 419.8K

-15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$95.8 COP 305.1K

18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,001

$1,028 COP 3.3M

118.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,705

$604 COP 1.9M

216.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,259

$1,802 COP 5.7M

102.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,390

$993 COP 3.2M

169.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,341

$3,921 COP 12.5M

52.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,066

$1,639 COP 5.2M

178.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,627

$626 COP 2.0M

370.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

10.94

-66.36%

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

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 68.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 22.1% $82

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 54.6% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 36.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 1.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 27.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,243 in Galway and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 370% 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: $112 in Galway vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

6 h behind Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galway Medellin 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Galway
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 370% 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: $2,243 in Galway versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $3,331 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin 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 Medellin 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.