Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Letterkenny and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Letterkenny: $2,007 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Letterkenny
Learn more

Letterkenny Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index

Jump to prices

Letterkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,007

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Letterkenny and in Galway

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,007 in Letterkenny versus $3,184 in Galway.

Letterkenny $2,007
Galway $3,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,068 in Letterkenny versus $4,539 in Galway.

Letterkenny $3,068
Galway $4,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,129 in Letterkenny versus $5,895 in Galway.

Letterkenny $4,129
Galway $5,895

Living in Letterkenny costs roughly 37% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Letterkenny 47% above, Galway 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 €17.31

$22.73 €20.36

-15.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 €61.6

$110 €98.9

-37.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.95

$16.46 €14.74

-18.96%

Cappuccino

$4.64 €4.16

$4.94 €4.42

-6.07%

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

$2.66 €2.38

$2.92 €2.61

-8.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.31 €2.07

-0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 €5.67

$7.89 €7.07

-19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 €5.98

$6.63 €5.94

0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.44

$1.59 €1.42

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.34 €2.10

-20.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.26 €2.02

-37.17%

Eggs

$5.45 €4.88

$4.31 €3.86

26.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$16.38 €14.67

-49.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 €11.24

$10.93 €9.79

14.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 €11.70

$13.39 €11.99

-2.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 €3.77

$3.06 €2.74

37.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$2.17 €1.95

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.10 €2.78

29.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.67

$4.05 €3.63

1.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.98

$2.06 €1.85

61.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.47 €1.32

-22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.31 €1.17

-1.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.82 €1.63

24.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.32 €18.20

$20.40 €18.27

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.29 €11.90

$14.02 €12.55

-5.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.73

$3.91 €3.50

-22.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.53

$4.46 €4.00

-11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 €4.44

$2.07 €1.85

139.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €64.1

$66.4 €59.5

7.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.98

$5.27 €4.72

5.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 €3.60

$1.42 €1.27

183.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.62 €22.05

$55.3 €49.56

-55.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.15 €1.92

-9.77%

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

$38.2K €34.2K

$38.0K €34.1K

0.50%

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

$33.1K €29.7K

$38.4K €34.4K

-13.80%

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

$162 €145

$245 €220

-33.85%

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

$20.89 €18.71

$21.31 €19.08

-1.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.38 €40.64

$51.4 €45.99

-11.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 €48.00

$45.26 €40.53

18.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.76 €20.39

$22.38 €20.04

1.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.93

$13.15 €11.78

-24.18%

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

$247 €221

$990 €887

-75.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,034

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 €78.3

$100 €89.9

-12.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 €33.10

$47.73 €42.75

-22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.6

$109 €97.4

-15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 €85.5

$116 €104

-17.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €945

$2,324 €2,082

-54.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €694

$1,812 €1,623

-57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 €1,423

$3,534 €3,165

-55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,215

$2,733 €2,448

-50.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,237 €2,003

$4,352 €3,898

-48.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 €1,503

$3,324 €2,977

-49.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$2,933 €2,627

-35.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.68

-2.17%

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

Last update for Letterkenny: October 27, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Letterkenny

$775 38.6%

Galway

$1.8K 56.9% 134% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Letterkenny

$357 17.8%

Galway

$363 11.4% 1.8% $6.4

Eating Out

Letterkenny

$315 15.7%

Galway

$364 11.4% 15.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Letterkenny

$229 11.4%

Galway

$318 10% 39.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Letterkenny

$140 7%

Galway

$168 5.3% 19.5% $27

Getting Around

Letterkenny

$117 5.8%

Galway

$87 2.7% 25.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Letterkenny

$74 3.7%

Galway

$72 2.3% 2.7% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Letterkenny and $2,324 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 56% 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: $69 in Letterkenny vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $363 per month, with Letterkenny cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Letterkenny

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

Same time as Letterkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,549

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Letterkenny Galway 210 km

From you

Letterkenny
Galway

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 Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Letterkenny is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Letterkenny. 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: $1,055 in Letterkenny versus $2,324 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Letterkenny versus $990 in Galway. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Letterkenny – a meal for two runs $69 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Letterkenny 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, Letterkenny and Galway are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Letterkenny wins on affordability, Galway on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.