Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shannon and Galway

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.

109

Cost of Living Index in Shannon
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Shannon Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Shannon

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,275

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Shannon $2,275
Galway $3,184

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

Shannon $3,547
Galway $4,539

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

Shannon $4,820
Galway $5,895

Living in Shannon costs roughly 29% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.81

$22.73 €20.42

-12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €90.1

$110 €99.2

-9.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.90

$16.46 €14.78

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.19

$4.94 €4.44

-5.47%

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

$2.88 €2.59

$2.92 €2.62

-1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.31 €2.08

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.21 €6.48

$7.89 €7.09

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 €5.85

$6.63 €5.96

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.59 €1.43

6.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.68

$2.34 €2.10

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.26 €2.03

-8.85%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.52

$4.31 €3.87

16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 €9.05

$16.38 €14.72

-38.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.76 €11.47

$10.93 €9.82

16.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 €12.59

$13.39 €12.03

4.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$3.06 €2.75

6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.17 €1.95

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.10 €2.79

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 €3.93

$4.05 €3.64

8.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.06 €1.85

-10.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.47 €1.32

55.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.31 €1.18

-3.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.82 €1.63

20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.26 €18.20

$20.40 €18.33

-0.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.20 €11.85

$14.02 €12.59

-5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.11

$3.91 €3.51

-11.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.54

$4.46 €4.01

-11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.07 €1.86

20.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.64

$5.27 €4.73

-2.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.42 €1.28

3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.66 €33.83

$55.3 €49.71

-31.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.81

$2.15 €1.93

-6.51%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.0K €34.2K

1.61%

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

$38.2K €34.3K

$38.4K €34.5K

-0.62%

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

$274 €246

$245 €220

11.78%

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

$20.99 €18.85

$21.31 €19.14

-1.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 €41.55

$51.4 €46.13

-9.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.06 €35.99

$45.26 €40.65

-11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.85 €40.29

$22.38 €20.10

100.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 €9.88

$13.15 €11.82

-16.35%

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

$1,016 €912

$990 €890

2.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,171 €4,645

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €79.4

$100 €90.2

-11.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.11 €32.44

$47.73 €42.88

-24.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €92.0

$109 €97.7

-5.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 €86.4

$116 €104

-17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,065

$2,324 €2,088

-48.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 €917

$1,812 €1,627

-43.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 €1,873

$3,534 €3,175

-41.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 €1,746

$2,733 €2,455

-28.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,854 €2,563

$4,352 €3,909

-34.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,979 €2,676

$3,324 €2,986

-10.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,119 €2,802

$2,933 €2,635

6.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.68

3.53%

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

Last update for Shannon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shannon

$1K 44.9%

Galway

$1.8K 56.9% 77.4% $791

Groceries & Markets

Shannon

$358 15.8%

Galway

$363 11.4% 1.4% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shannon

$342 15%

Galway

$318 10% 6.9% $23

Eating Out

Shannon

$324 14.2%

Galway

$364 11.4% 12.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Shannon

$145 6.4%

Galway

$168 5.3% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shannon

$62 2.7%

Galway

$72 2.3% 15.3% $9.5

Getting Around

Shannon

$22 * 1%

Galway

$87 2.7% 287% $65

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 $1,186 in Shannon and $2,324 in Galway. 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: $100 in Shannon vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $363 per month, with Shannon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Shannon

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

Same time as Shannon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,256

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shannon Galway 65 km

From you

Shannon
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

Shannon vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shannon is cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Shannon, 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: $1,186 in Shannon versus $2,324 in Galway. 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 $1,016 in Shannon versus $990 in Galway. 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, Shannon 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.