Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Portlaoise: $2,347 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $3,270 in Galway.

Portlaoise $2,347
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,746 in Portlaoise versus $4,565 in Galway.

Portlaoise $3,746
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,145 in Portlaoise versus $5,860 in Galway.

Portlaoise $5,145
Galway $5,860

Living in Portlaoise costs roughly 28% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portlaoise 74% above, Galway 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$110 €97.6

-28.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.31

$16.68 €14.84

-23.74%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$4.79 €4.26

-8.14%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$2.87 €2.56

-12.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.30 €2.05

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$8.04 €7.15

-17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$6.88 €6.12

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.58 €1.40

8.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.37 €2.11

-5.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.26 €2.01

-17.70%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.38 €3.89

5.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.48

$16.67 €14.83

-15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.45

$11.04 €9.82

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$13.18 €11.72

27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.05 €2.72

8.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.23 €1.98

31.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.97 €2.64

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$4.17 €3.71

16.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.05 €1.82

13.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.52 €1.36

13.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.29 €1.15

6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.81 €1.61

16.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.12

$20.14 €17.91

1.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$14.04 €12.49

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$3.96 €3.52

3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$4.46 €3.97

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$2.10 €1.87

121.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$62.4 €55.5

-29.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$5.07 €4.51

3.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.43 €1.27

8.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$56.9 €50.6

-41.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.09 €1.86

-2.87%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.1K €34.7K

-0.63%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$36.4K €32.4K

4.52%

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

$239 €212

$246 €219

-3.00%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$20.84 €18.53

4.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.40

$50.3 €44.71

10.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$43.60 €38.77

26.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$16.54 €14.71

-18.68%

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

$1,072 €953

$1,010 €898

6.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$99.4 €88.4

-5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.94

$48.19 €42.86

-11.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$111 €98.4

-2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$114 €101

6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$2,234 €1,987

-44.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$1,897 €1,687

-48.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$3,654 €3,250

-38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$2,698 €2,400

-20.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,965 €5,306

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$2,905 €2,584

-4.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.68

-4.89%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 92.8% $913

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Galway

$365 11.2% 6.3% $25

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Galway

$364 11.1% 8.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Galway

$317 9.7% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Galway

$168 5.1% 1.5% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Galway

$77 2.3% 6.8% $5.6

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Galway

$83 2.5% 9.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Portlaoise and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 4% 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: $78.0 in Portlaoise vs $110 in Galway. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $365, with Galway cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

Same time as Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

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

Portlaoise vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portlaoise is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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: $1,229 in Portlaoise 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 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Portlaoise – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $3,270 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Portlaoise but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Portlaoise the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Portlaoise 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, Portlaoise 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 Portlaoise gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.