Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sligo and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Sligo: $1,795 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Sligo
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Sligo Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Sligo

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,795

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,795 in Sligo versus $3,184 in Galway.

Sligo $1,795
Galway $3,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,734 in Sligo versus $4,539 in Galway.

Sligo $2,734
Galway $4,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,672 in Sligo versus $5,895 in Galway.

Sligo $3,672
Galway $5,895

Living in Sligo costs roughly 44% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sligo 32% above, Galway 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.98 €15.22

$22.73 €20.37

-25.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 €71.1

$110 €98.9

-28.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €8.19

$16.46 €14.75

-44.47%

Cappuccino

$3.71 €3.32

$4.94 €4.43

-24.90%

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

$2.63 €2.35

$2.92 €2.61

-9.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.31 €2.07

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.89 €7.07

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 €5.44

$6.63 €5.94

-8.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.59 €1.42

-11.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.34 €2.10

-36.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.26 €2.03

-29.20%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.10

$4.31 €3.86

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 €7.71

$16.38 €14.68

-47.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 €7.97

$10.93 €9.80

-18.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.92

$13.39 €12.00

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$3.06 €2.74

-34.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.17 €1.95

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$3.10 €2.78

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$4.05 €3.63

-33.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.06 €1.85

-17.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.47 €1.32

-19.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.31 €1.17

-0.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.82 €1.63

-9.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.45 €15.63

$20.40 €18.28

-14.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 €9.86

$14.02 €12.56

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$3.91 €3.50

-31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.41

$4.46 €4.00

-14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.07 €1.85

5.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$5.27 €4.72

5.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 €1.27

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.7 €59.8

$55.3 €49.59

20.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.15 €1.92

-7.44%

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

$38.3K €34.3K

$38.0K €34.1K

0.62%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$38.4K €34.4K

-1.14%

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

$162 €145

$245 €220

-34.18%

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

$22.47 €20.14

$21.31 €19.09

5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.00 €40.32

$51.4 €46.01

-12.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.2

$45.26 €40.55

43.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.97 €9.83

$22.38 €20.05

-50.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.14

$13.15 €11.79

-13.99%

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

$808 €724

$990 €887

-18.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,264 €2,029

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €78.3

$100 €89.9

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 €25.45

$47.73 €42.77

-40.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 €66.3

$109 €97.4

-31.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 €78.9

$116 €104

-24.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,203

$2,324 €2,083

-42.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 €705

$1,812 €1,623

-56.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 €2,034

$3,534 €3,167

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,207

$2,733 €2,449

-50.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,140 €1,918

$4,352 €3,900

-50.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,979

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,073 €3,650

$2,933 €2,629

38.86%

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 Sligo: 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

Sligo

$787 43.9%

Galway

$1.8K 56.9% 130% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sligo

$273 15.2%

Galway

$363 11.4% 32.9% $90

Eating Out

Sligo

$271 15.1%

Galway

$364 11.4% 34.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sligo

$229 12.8%

Galway

$318 10% 38.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sligo

$125 7%

Galway

$168 5.3% 34.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sligo

$88 4.9%

Galway

$72 2.3% 18.3% $16

Getting Around

Sligo

$22 * 1.2%

Galway

$87 2.7% 300% $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 $1,342 in Sligo and $2,324 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sligo pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Sligo vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $363 per month, with Sligo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Sligo

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

Same time as Sligo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,608

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

Sligo vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sligo is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Sligo, 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: $1,342 in Sligo versus $2,324 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $808 in Sligo 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 Sligo – a meal for two runs $79 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,795 in Sligo versus $3,184 in Galway, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sligo but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Sligo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sligo 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, Sligo and Galway are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.