Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Limerick and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Limerick: $2,791 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Limerick
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Limerick Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Limerick

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,791

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Limerick 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 Limerick and in Galway actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,791 in Limerick versus $3,270 in Galway.

Limerick $2,791
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,934 in Limerick versus $4,565 in Galway.

Limerick $3,934
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,077 in Limerick versus $5,860 in Galway.

Limerick $5,077
Galway $5,860

Living in Limerick costs roughly 15% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Limerick 107% above, Galway 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 €17.83

$22.70 €20.19

-11.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 €75.1

$110 €97.6

-22.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 €11.94

$16.68 €14.84

-19.54%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €3.97

$4.79 €4.26

-6.68%

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

$2.55 €2.26

$2.87 €2.56

-11.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.30 €2.05

-3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.54

$8.04 €7.15

-8.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.88 €6.12

-2.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.58 €1.40

5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.37 €2.11

-24.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.26 €2.01

-19.03%

Eggs

$5.48 €4.87

$4.38 €3.89

25.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$16.67 €14.83

-50.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 €11.16

$11.04 €9.82

13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 €12.66

$13.18 €11.72

8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$3.05 €2.72

38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.23 €1.98

20.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 €3.45

$2.97 €2.64

30.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$4.17 €3.71

-2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 €3.94

$2.05 €1.82

116.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.52 €1.36

77.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.29 €1.15

-3.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.81 €1.61

25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.43 €18.17

$20.14 €17.91

1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 €14.75

$14.04 €12.49

18.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$3.96 €3.52

-25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 €3.41

$4.46 €3.97

-14.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.10 €1.87

18.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 €52.4

$62.4 €55.5

-5.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$5.07 €4.51

9.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.43 €1.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.1 €59.7

$56.9 €50.6

18.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.09 €1.86

-4.31%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$39.1K €34.7K

-1.03%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$36.4K €32.4K

4.00%

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

$163 €145

$246 €219

-33.85%

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

$21.20 €18.85

$20.84 €18.53

1.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.06 €40.96

$50.3 €44.71

-8.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.76 €44.25

$43.60 €38.77

14.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 €22.42

$22.58 €20.09

11.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.98

$16.54 €14.71

-32.10%

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

$838 €745

$1,010 €898

-17.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,266 €2,015

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.6

$99.4 €88.4

-13.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.71 €31.76

$48.19 €42.86

-25.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 €81.2

$111 €98.4

-17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 €84.1

$114 €101

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 €1,655

$2,234 €1,987

-16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 €1,398

$1,897 €1,687

-17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 €2,121

$3,654 €3,250

-34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 €2,000

$2,698 €2,400

-16.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 €4,015

$5,965 €5,306

-24.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,874 €3,446

$4,623 €4,111

-16.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,266 €2,905

$2,905 €2,584

12.41%

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 Limerick: October 12, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Limerick

$1.6K 56.3%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 20.7% $325

Groceries & Markets

Limerick

$374 13.4%

Galway

$365 11.2% 2.3% $8.7

Eating Out

Limerick

$323 11.6%

Galway

$364 11.1% 12.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Limerick

$230 8.2%

Galway

$317 9.7% 37.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Limerick

$138 5%

Galway

$168 5.1% 21% $29

Getting Around

Limerick

$82 2.9%

Galway

$83 2.5% 1.8% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Limerick

$72 2.6%

Galway

$77 2.3% 6.2% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,860 in Limerick and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Limerick pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Limerick vs $110 in Galway. Groceries flip the comparison at $374 vs $365, with Galway cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Limerick

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Limerick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,192

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Limerick vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 12% higher in Limerick, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,860 in Limerick versus $2,234 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Galway pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Limerick – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Limerick is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Limerick is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Limerick and Galway 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 Limerick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.