Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Letterkenny and Drachten

For one person, living is cheaper in Letterkenny: $1,993 a month against $2,483 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Drachten outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Letterkenny
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Letterkenny Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index

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Letterkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,993

/mo nomad

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Letterkenny and in Drachten

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Letterkenny and in Drachten actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,993 in Letterkenny versus $2,483 in Drachten.

Letterkenny $1,993
Drachten $2,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,043 in Letterkenny versus $3,657 in Drachten.

Letterkenny $3,043
Drachten $3,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Letterkenny versus $4,831 in Drachten.

Letterkenny $4,092
Drachten $4,831

Living in Letterkenny costs roughly 20% less than in Drachten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Letterkenny 48% above, Drachten 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.77 €16.70

$24.26 €21.58

-22.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$84.3 €75.0

-21.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.55 €12.05

-1.99%

Cappuccino

$4.53 €4.03

$3.98 €3.54

13.82%

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

$2.54 €2.26

$3.62 €3.22

-29.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.10 €2.75

-29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.36

$5.74 €5.11

4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 €5.80

$5.68 €5.05

14.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.16 €1.03

38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.34 €1.19

38.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.59 €1.41

-11.95%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.61

$5.00 €4.45

3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 €7.36

$12.45 €11.07

-33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 €11.23

$13.26 €11.80

-4.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 €11.41

$12.08 €10.74

6.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.66

$1.86 €1.66

121.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.49 €2.22

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.89 €1.68

110.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.14 €2.79

27.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.64 €1.45

108.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.58 €1.41

-31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.28 €1.14

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$0.65 €0.57

244.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 €17.70

$8.96 €7.97

122.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$6.86 €6.10

96.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.47 €1.31

105.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.65 €2.35

45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.10 €4.54

$3.38 €3.00

50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 €65.4

$90.0 €80.1

-18.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.19 €3.73

34.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.10 €3.65

$3.05 €2.71

34.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.31 €21.62

$49.31 €43.86

-50.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.27 €2.01

-17.18%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$41.5K €36.9K

-6.99%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$37.3K €33.2K

-8.50%

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

$163 €145

$276 €246

-41.03%

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

$20.51 €18.24

$24.01 €21.35

-14.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.27 €40.26

$49.46 €44.00

-8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 €46.76

$41.09 €36.55

27.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.51 €20.02

$22.13 €19.68

1.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 €9.04

$16.02 €14.25

-36.52%

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

$244 €217

$2,305 €2,050

-89.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,030

$7,889 €7,018

28.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.2

$59.0 €52.5

45.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.23 €32.22

$44.14 €39.26

-17.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 €81.6

$87.4 €77.7

4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$136 €121

-30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €930

$1,430 €1,272

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 €687

$1,155 €1,027

-33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,397

$2,384 €2,120

-34.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,205

$1,900 €1,690

-28.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,239 €1,992

$5,428 €4,829

-58.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,701 €1,513

$4,379 €3,895

-61.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,905 €1,695

$2,515 €2,237

-24.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

4.3

-16.28%

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

Last update for Letterkenny: October 11, 2026

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Letterkenny

$773 38.8%

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5% 49.5% $382

Groceries & Markets

Letterkenny

$354 17.8%

Drachten

$286 11.5% 19.2% $68

Eating Out

Letterkenny

$307 15.4%

Drachten

$349 14.1% 14% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Letterkenny

$229 11.5%

Drachten

$350 14.1% 52.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Letterkenny

$139 7%

Drachten

$147 5.9% 5.9% $8.2

Getting Around

Letterkenny

$120 6%

Drachten

$123 5% 2.4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Letterkenny

$73 3.7%

Drachten

$73 3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Letterkenny and $1,430 in Drachten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays 32% 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: $67.0 in Letterkenny vs $84.0 in Drachten. Groceries flip the comparison at $354 vs $286, with Drachten cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Letterkenny

🇳🇱 Drachten

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h ahead of Letterkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,549

45,186

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Letterkenny Drachten 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Letterkenny
Drachten

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

Letterkenny vs Drachten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Letterkenny is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Drachten. 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: $1,046 in Letterkenny versus $1,430 in Drachten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $244 in Letterkenny versus $2,305 in Drachten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Drachten pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,993 in Letterkenny versus $2,483 in Drachten, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Letterkenny but tight or insufficient in Drachten. The gap between the two cities makes Letterkenny the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Letterkenny and Drachten 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 Letterkenny gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Drachten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.