# Cost of living in Galway | Cost of living | Moving to Ireland > Galway is the smallest of Ireland's main cities and, for many people, the most likeable: a compact medieval centre, the sea at Salthill, a big student… Source: https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-galway/ Cost of living · Step 4 of 8 # Cost of living in Galway 4 min read · Updated 13 September 2026 Galway is the smallest of Ireland's main cities and, for many people, the most likeable: a compact medieval centre, the sea at Salthill, a big student population and a medtech cluster (Medtronic, Boston Scientific and many smaller firms) that provides well-paid work. The trade-off is housing. Galway has the tightest rental market outside Dublin, and in 2026 its rents are rising faster than anywhere else in the country. Here is what to expect. ## Rent in Galway in 2026 The RTB Rent Index for Q1 2026 shows the standardised average rent for a new tenancy in **Galway City at €2,004** a month, the first time the city has passed €2,000, and **€1,718 across County Galway**. That makes Galway City the most expensive city in Ireland after Dublin (€2,301). Daft.ie's Q2 2026 report recorded market rents in Galway City up **13% year-on-year**, the highest rate of any city, with a two-bed apartment averaging **€2,336**, slightly above Cork and Limerick. Daft's Q1 2026 asking rents give the fuller picture: a one-bed apartment in the city averaged **€1,547**, a two-bed €2,290, a three-bed house €2,492 and a double room in a shared house €773. Because the University of Galway and ATU enrol tens of thousands of students, competition is fiercest in late August and September; if you can time your arrival for the spring, do. Popular areas include Salthill and Knocknacarra to the west, Renmore and Roscam to the east, and Oranmore, Athenry and Moycullen if you have a car. Rents in County Galway towns (a two-bed at €1,533 in Q1 2026) are noticeably lower.
Property type (Daft.ie Q1 2026 asking rents)Galway CityCork CityDublin
Studio€1,174€1,198not listed
One-bed apartment€1,547€1,806€2,012
Two-bed apartment€2,290€2,126€2,609
Three-bed house€2,492€2,516€3,162
Double room, shared house€773€757€918 (North City)
## Buying a home Galway's sales market is surprisingly expensive for a city of its size. The Daft.ie House Price Report for Q2 2026 puts the average three-bed semi in **Galway City at €626,000**, up 4.4% in a year and higher than Dublin's €580,000, reflecting a very small stock of family homes in the city itself. Prices fall quickly once you leave the city boundary, and the CSO reports the strongest house-price inflation in the country in the West region in 2026. If you are buying, a commuter town such as Athenry (25 minutes by train) is where most families find value. ## Transport Galway is a walking and cycling city: most of the centre, the university and the hospital are within 30 minutes on foot of each other. Bus Éireann city services cost **€1.50 a single** with a Leap card (75 cent for students and young adults), and the city is on the national TFI network, so a Leap card from Dublin or Cork works here. Traffic is Galway's weak spot: the ring road has been planned for decades and the Quincentennial Bridge jams every rush hour, so if you live in Knocknacarra and work in Parkmore, allow 45 minutes by car. The train to Dublin Heuston takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. ## Groceries, energy and bills Everyday prices are national. Budget **€260 to €350 a month** for one person's groceries and around €700 for a family of four (CSO Household Budget Survey average: €161 a week per household). Galway's Saturday market by St Nicholas' church is good for fresh food but not a way to save money. Energy is the same as everywhere in Ireland: average annual bills of about €1,805 for electricity and €1,429 for gas in July 2026, so around €270 a month for a house with both, and €100 to €150 for an apartment on electricity alone. Many older houses in Galway are heated with oil, which you buy in bulk (about **€1,270 for 1,000 litres** in August 2026, after a sharp rise over the previous year), so ask before you sign a lease. Broadband is €25 to €60 and mobile €10 to €15. A GP visit costs €50 to €70, prescriptions are capped at €80 a month per family under the Drugs Payment Scheme, and full-time creche fees in Core Funding services are capped at **€183.70 a week** after the universal subsidy from September 2026. ## A monthly budget for Galway
ItemSingle person, one-bedCouple with one child, three-bed house
Rent€1,547€2,492
Energy€130€270
Broadband and mobile€55€80
Groceries€300€550
Transport (bus)€60€120
Childcare€0€796
Health allowance€40€80
Total before leisureabout €2,130about €4,390
A single person in a one-bed spends roughly €500 a month less in Galway than in Dublin, but the gap is shrinking every quarter. Average Irish weekly earnings were €1,046.88 in Q2 2026 (CSO); medtech and pharma roles in Galway pay above that, while hospitality and retail, big local employers, pay closer to the €14.15 minimum wage, which is a tight fit with these rents. ## ★ Useful links - [RTB Rent Index](https://www.rtb.ie/data-insights/rtb-research-reports/rtb-esri-rent-index/) - [Daft.ie Rental and House Price Reports](https://www.daft.ie/report) - [Transport for Ireland bus fares](https://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/bus-fares/) - [Galway City Council](https://www.galwaycity.ie/) - [Citizens Information: National Childcare Scheme](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/pre-school-education-and-childcare/universal-childcare-subsidy/) ![](https://www.movingtoireland.co/apple-touch-icon.png) You have read 20% of this guide ## Keep reading in the Moving to Ireland app The rest of **Cost of living in Galway** — about 3 minutes more — is in the app, free to download, alongside 98 other guides and a checklist built around your own move. Still to come in this guide - Buying a home - Transport - Groceries, energy and bills - A monthly budget for Galway [Download free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) iPhone and iPad · no account needed ## More on cost of living [All 8 guides in this section](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/) - ### [Cost of living in Ireland in 2026](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-ireland/) Ireland is one of the more expensive countries in Europe to live in, and rent is the reason. Almost everything else, from groceries to public transport… 4 min read - ### [Cost of living in Dublin](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-dublin/) Dublin is where most people moving to Ireland land first, and it is comfortably the most expensive place in the country to live. The premium is almost… 4 min read - ### [Cost of living in Cork](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-cork/) Cork is Ireland's second city and the obvious alternative to Dublin if you work in pharma, medtech or tech. Apple, Pfizer, Stryker and dozens of others… 3 min read - ### [Cost of living in Limerick](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-limerick/) Limerick is the city that relocation guides used to skip, and that is exactly why it deserves a look. It has a university (UL), a growing tech and… 4 min read Keep going ## Get the full cost-of-living roadmap in the app Moving to Ireland turns 99 guides into a personal checklist. Tell it your passport, whether you have moved yet, and who is coming with you, and it lays out every step in order — from the visa to the bins. - Step-by-step checklist - Tailored to your passport - Pre-move & post-move - Family & pet sections [![Download Moving to Ireland on the App Store](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-store-badge.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) ★★★★★ 4.9 on the App Store [![Expats who settled in Ireland, two five-star App Store reviews, and the Moving to Ireland app showing its relocation checklist](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-social-proof.webp)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261)