Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Shannon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shannon: $2,275 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Shannon
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Shannon Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Shannon

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galway and in Shannon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Galway versus $2,275 in Shannon.

Galway $3,184
Shannon $2,275

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,539 in Galway versus $3,547 in Shannon.

Galway $4,539
Shannon $3,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Galway versus $4,820 in Shannon.

Galway $5,895
Shannon $4,820

Living in Galway is roughly 40% more expensive than in Shannon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Galway 134% above, Shannon 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.42

$19.82 €17.81

14.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €99.2

$100 €90.1

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.46 €14.78

$13.24 €11.90

24.32%

Cappuccino

$4.94 €4.44

$4.67 €4.19

5.78%

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

$2.92 €2.62

$2.88 €2.59

1.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.08

$2.20 €1.97

5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.09

$7.21 €6.48

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.96

$6.51 €5.85

1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.69 €1.52

-5.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.86 €1.68

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.06 €1.85

9.71%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.87

$5.03 €4.52

-14.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 €14.72

$10.08 €9.05

62.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 €9.82

$12.76 €11.47

-14.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 €12.03

$14.02 €12.59

-4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$3.26 €2.93

-6.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.28 €2.05

-4.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 €2.79

$3.30 €2.96

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.64

$4.38 €3.93

-7.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.84 €1.65

11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.28 €2.05

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.27 €1.14

3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.20 €1.98

-17.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.40 €18.33

$20.26 €18.20

0.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 €12.59

$13.20 €11.85

6.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.51

$3.46 €3.11

13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €4.01

$3.94 €3.54

13.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.50 €2.24

-17.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.73

$5.16 €4.64

2.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.28

$1.47 €1.32

-3.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 €49.71

$37.66 €33.83

46.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.01 €1.81

6.97%

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

$38.0K €34.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-1.59%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$38.2K €34.3K

0.63%

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

$245 €220

$274 €246

-10.54%

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

$21.31 €19.14

$20.99 €18.85

1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €46.13

$46.26 €41.55

11.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 €40.65

$40.06 €35.99

12.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.10

$44.85 €40.29

-50.10%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 €11.82

$11.00 €9.88

19.55%

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

$990 €890

$1,016 €912

-2.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,171 €4,645

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.2

$88.4 €79.4

13.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 €42.88

$36.11 €32.44

32.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.7

$102 €92.0

6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$96.2 €86.4

20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 €2,088

$1,186 €1,065

96.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,627

$1,021 €917

77.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 €3,175

$2,085 €1,873

69.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 €2,455

$1,944 €1,746

40.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,909

$2,854 €2,563

52.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,986

$2,979 €2,676

11.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 €2,635

$3,119 €2,802

-5.96%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shannon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.8K 56.9%

Shannon

$1K 44.9% 43.6% $791

Eating Out

Galway

$364 11.4%

Shannon

$324 14.2% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$363 11.4%

Shannon

$358 15.8% 1.4% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 10%

Shannon

$342 15% 7.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$168 5.3%

Shannon

$145 6.4% 13.3% $22

Getting Around

Galway

$87 2.7%

Shannon

$22 * 1% 74.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$72 2.3%

Shannon

$62 2.7% 13.3% $9.5

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 $1,186 in Shannon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shannon pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Galway vs $100 in Shannon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $358 per month, with Shannon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇮🇪 Shannon

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

Same time as Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

10,256

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Shannon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shannon is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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: $2,324 in Galway versus $1,186 in Shannon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shannon – a meal for two runs $100 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $990 in Galway versus $1,016 in Shannon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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