Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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 Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Galway versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Galway $3,331
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,673 in Galway versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Galway $4,673
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,015 in Galway versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Galway $6,015
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Galway is roughly 113% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 149% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$11.12 MX$204

105.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$48.99 MX$900

129.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.73

$11.23 MX$206

47.02%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$3.76 MX$69.0

32.45%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.65 MX$30.34

81.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.28 MX$23.48

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$3.26 MX$59.8

140.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.17

$5.66 MX$104

22.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.81 MX$33.23

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.94 MX$54.0

-18.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.05 MX$37.62

6.83%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.80

$2.93 MX$53.7

45.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.18

$11.95 MX$219

42.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$9.51 MX$175

16.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$14.84 MX$273

-8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$3.14 MX$57.7

-0.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.01 MX$36.99

8.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.08 MX$38.10

50.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.22 MX$40.72

88.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.06 MX$37.82

-0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.88 MX$34.46

-20.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.48 MX$27.18

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.35 MX$24.70

41.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.07

$5.41 MX$99.3

274.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.48

$16.86 MX$310

-17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.64

$1.98 MX$36.43

105.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$4.32 MX$79.4

3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.34 MX$6.33

532.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.7

$20.23 MX$371

208.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$2.10 MX$38.47

151.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.53 MX$9.74

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.56

$5.41 MX$99.3

926.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.52 MX$27.91

37.50%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

81.68%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

50.83%

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

$246 €219

$63.0 MX$1,156

289.95%

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

$21.02 €18.76

$28.88 MX$530

-27.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.20

$33.93 MX$623

52.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.74

$55.8 MX$1,024

-20.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.73

$24.90 MX$457

-11.24%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.09

$6.77 MX$124

149.78%

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

$1,019 €909

$428 MX$7,854

138.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$70.0 MX$1,286

45.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.34

$53.7 MX$986

-9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$110 MX$2,016

1.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$115 MX$2,115

-1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,001

$1,062 MX$19.5K

111.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,705

$671 MX$12.3K

184.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,259

$2,379 MX$43.7K

53.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,390

$1,260 MX$23.1K

112.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,341

$3,716 MX$68.2K

61.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,066

$1,976 MX$36.3K

130.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,627

$997 MX$18.3K

195.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

11.3

-67.43%

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

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 64.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 11.7% $43

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 43.5% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 60.5% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 68.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 11.5% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,243 in Galway and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 195% 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 $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

7 h behind Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galway Mexico City 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Galway
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 113% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 195% 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 $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,331 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City 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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.