Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Monaghan

For one person, living is cheaper in Monaghan: $2,382 a month against $3,138 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Monaghan
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Monaghan Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,138

/mo nomad

Monaghan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Monaghan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,138 in Galway versus $2,382 in Monaghan.

Galway $3,138
Monaghan $2,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,521 in Galway versus $3,362 in Monaghan.

Galway $4,521
Monaghan $3,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,904 in Galway versus $4,343 in Monaghan.

Galway $5,904
Monaghan $4,343

Living in Galway is roughly 32% more expensive than in Monaghan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 132% above, Monaghan 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.66

$17.47 €15.56

26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €100

$57.8 €51.5

95.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.59 €14.78

$12.33 €10.98

34.55%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.40

$4.02 €3.58

22.89%

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

$2.98 €2.65

$2.57 €2.29

15.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.11 €1.88

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 €7.14

$6.57 €5.85

22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.69 €5.96

$6.57 €5.85

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.61 €1.44

1.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.11 €1.88

7.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.77 €1.58

24.86%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.77

$4.32 €3.85

-2.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.54 €14.73

$9.84 €8.76

68.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$12.13 €10.81

-9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 €11.95

$13.20 €11.75

1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.97 €2.64

4.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.22 €1.98

-2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.99 €2.66

-0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 €3.64

$4.02 €3.58

1.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.86 €1.65

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.26 €1.12

0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.84 €1.64

3.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.46 €18.23

$20.10 €17.91

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 €12.61

$13.30 €11.84

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.51

$3.26 €2.90

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.93

$3.55 €3.16

24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.52 €2.24

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 €4.41

$5.06 €4.51

-2.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.49 €1.33

1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.96 €27.58

$37.90 €33.76

-18.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.84 €1.64

11.96%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$38.3K €34.1K

1.10%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$38.0K €33.8K

-0.59%

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

$238 €212

$241 €215

-1.38%

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

$20.74 €18.48

$20.67 €18.41

0.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 €44.54

$51.1 €45.55

-2.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.88 €40.87

$57.6 €51.3

-20.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.59 €20.12

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.87

$13.64 €12.15

-2.35%

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

$990 €882

$1,019 €908

-2.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,209 €4,640

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 €87.9

$93.3 €83.1

5.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 €42.75

$41.49 €36.96

15.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.7

$91.5 €81.5

21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$106 €94.0

7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 €2,055

$1,275 €1,135

80.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 €1,586

$1,185 €1,056

50.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,642 €3,244

$2,259 €2,012

61.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,750 €2,449

$1,820 €1,621

51.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 €3,650

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,152 €2,808

$3,366 €2,998

-6.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,887 €2,572

$3,993 €3,557

-27.71%

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monaghan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.7%

Monaghan

$1.2K 49.8% 33.4% $595

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$364 11.6%

Monaghan

$337 14.2% 7.4% $27

Eating Out

Galway

$360 11.5%

Monaghan

$290 12.2% 19.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$308 9.8%

Monaghan

$313 13.1% 1.4% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$167 5.3%

Monaghan

$149 6.3% 10.4% $17

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.8%

Monaghan

$23 * 1% 74% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$73 2.3%

Monaghan

$85 3.6% 17% $12

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 $2,307 in Galway and $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaghan pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $113 in Galway vs $58 in Monaghan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $337 per month, with Monaghan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Monaghan

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

7,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Galway Monaghan 170 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 Monaghan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monaghan is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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: $2,307 in Galway versus $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $1,019 in Monaghan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monaghan – a meal for two runs $58 versus $113 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Monaghan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.