Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Portmarnock

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmarnock: $2,718 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Portmarnock
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Portmarnock Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Portmarnock

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Portmarnock

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,718 in Portmarnock.

Galway $3,184
Portmarnock $2,718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,817 in Portmarnock.

Galway $4,539
Portmarnock $3,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,915 in Portmarnock.

Galway $5,895
Portmarnock $4,915

Living in Galway is roughly 17% more expensive than in Portmarnock, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Portmarnock 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.42

$22.47 €20.19

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €99.2

$101 €90.7

9.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.79

$13.44 €12.08

22.47%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.44

$4.75 €4.27

4.00%

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

$2.92 €2.62

$2.99 €2.68

-2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.08

$2.24 €2.01

3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.09

$7.74 €6.95

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.96

$6.51 €5.85

1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.57 €1.41

1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.08 €1.86

8.65%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.87

$4.21 €3.78

2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.72

$10.17 €9.14

61.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.82

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.03

$13.70 €12.31

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$2.83 €2.55

8.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.79

$2.79 €2.51

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.64

$4.16 €3.74

-2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.90 €1.71

8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.53 €1.38

-3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.25 €1.12

4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.81 €1.63

0.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.33

$20.46 €18.38

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.60

$13.45 €12.08

4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.51

$3.49 €3.13

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.01

$3.42 €3.07

30.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.57 €2.31

-19.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.73

$5.04 €4.53

4.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

$1.49 €1.34

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.72

$37.12 €33.35

49.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.13 €1.92

0.94%

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

$38.0K €34.2K

$38.6K €34.7K

-1.57%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$37.4K €33.6K

2.79%

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

$245 €221

$239 €214

2.85%

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

$21.31 €19.14

$18.37 €16.51

16.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.14

$51.2 €45.99

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.66

$55.1 €49.48

-17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.11

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.82

$13.65 €12.26

-3.66%

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

$990 €890

$1,021 €917

-2.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 €4,650

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.2

$101 €91.1

-0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.89

$47.74 €42.90

-0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.7

$111 €100

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$114 €103

1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,088

$1,441 €1,294

61.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,628

$1,450 €1,303

24.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,176

$2,279 €2,048

55.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,456

$2,024 €1,819

35.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,910

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,987

$3,524 €3,167

-5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,636

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

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

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portmarnock: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Portmarnock

$1.4K 53.3% 20% $362

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Portmarnock

$350 12.9% 4% $14

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Portmarnock

$336 12.4% 7.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Portmarnock

$308 11.3% 3.1% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Portmarnock

$169 6.2% 0.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Portmarnock

$23 * 0.8% 73.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Portmarnock

$82 3% 15.1% $11

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 $2,324 in Galway and $1,441 in Portmarnock. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $101 in Portmarnock for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $336 per month, with Portmarnock cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Portmarnock

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

9,285

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Galway Portmarnock 190 km

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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 Portmarnock: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmarnock is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,775 in Galway and $4,077 in Portmarnock to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,324 in Galway versus $1,441 in Portmarnock. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $1,021 in Portmarnock. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Portmarnock 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.

Safety-wise, Galway and Portmarnock are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.