Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wicklow and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Wicklow: $2,446 a month against $3,184 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Wicklow
Learn more

Wicklow Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index

Jump to prices

Wicklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,446

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,446 in Wicklow versus $3,184 in Galway.

Wicklow $2,446
Galway $3,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,745 in Wicklow versus $4,539 in Galway.

Wicklow $3,745
Galway $4,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,045 in Wicklow versus $5,895 in Galway.

Wicklow $5,045
Galway $5,895

Living in Wicklow costs roughly 23% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wicklow 80% above, Galway 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.44 €13.87

$22.73 €20.42

-32.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.6

$110 €99.2

-0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 €8.30

$16.46 €14.78

-43.86%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.66

$4.94 €4.44

-17.61%

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

$2.57 €2.31

$2.92 €2.62

-11.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.31 €2.08

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.10

$7.89 €7.09

-13.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 €5.29

$6.63 €5.96

-11.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.41

$1.59 €1.43

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.34 €2.10

-26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.26 €2.03

0.44%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.90

$4.31 €3.87

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$16.38 €14.72

2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 €9.07

$10.93 €9.82

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$13.39 €12.03

-42.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.06 €2.75

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.17 €1.95

-0.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 €2.74

$3.10 €2.79

-1.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 €3.65

$4.05 €3.64

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.06 €1.85

-2.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.31 €1.18

-0.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.82 €1.63

0.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.47 €18.39

$20.40 €18.33

0.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 €12.42

$14.02 €12.59

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.03

$3.91 €3.51

-42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.46 €4.01

-23.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.07 €1.86

39.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 €59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 €2.27

$5.27 €4.73

-51.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.42 €1.28

-0.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.88 €28.64

$55.3 €49.71

-42.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.15 €1.93

-6.51%

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

$36.8K €33.0K

$38.0K €34.2K

-3.38%

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

$38.0K €34.2K

$38.4K €34.5K

-1.05%

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

$225 €202

$245 €220

-8.25%

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

$20.97 €18.83

$21.31 €19.14

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.98 €30.53

$51.4 €46.13

-33.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 €52.5

$45.26 €40.65

29.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.10

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 €12.02

$13.15 €11.82

1.75%

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

$1,871 €1,681

$990 €890

88.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €89.5

$100 €90.2

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 €30.58

$47.73 €42.88

-28.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 €60.2

$109 €97.7

-38.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$116 €104

-1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,527

$2,324 €2,088

-26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 €1,192

$1,812 €1,627

-26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,977 €2,674

$3,534 €3,175

-15.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 €2,149

$2,733 €2,455

-12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,352 €3,909

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,986

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,481 €4,923

$2,933 €2,635

86.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

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

Last update for Wicklow: October 26, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wicklow

$1.3K 54.3%

Galway

$1.8K 56.9% 36.5% $484

Groceries & Markets

Wicklow

$326 13.3%

Galway

$363 11.4% 11.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wicklow

$280 11.5%

Galway

$318 10% 13.6% $38

Eating Out

Wicklow

$264 10.8%

Galway

$364 11.4% 37.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Wicklow

$142 5.8%

Galway

$168 5.3% 18.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Wicklow

$85 3.5%

Galway

$72 2.3% 16% $14

Getting Around

Wicklow

$21 * 0.9%

Galway

$87 2.7% 311% $66

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 $1,700 in Wicklow and $2,324 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wicklow pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Wicklow vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $363 per month, with Wicklow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Wicklow

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

Same time as Wicklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,957

75,529

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wicklow Galway 200 km

From you

Wicklow
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

Wicklow vs Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wicklow is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Wicklow, 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: $1,700 in Wicklow versus $2,324 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $1,871 in Wicklow versus $990 in Galway. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,446 in Wicklow versus $3,184 in Galway, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wicklow but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Wicklow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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