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Galway vs Utrecht cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฎ๐ช Galway
๐ณ๐ฑ Utrecht
At a glance
- Where Utrecht is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (44%โ), Street food (41%โ), Laundry (36%โ)
- Where Galway is clearly cheaper: Taxi (35%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (33%โ), Haircut (32%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around โ Galway 2 vs Utrecht 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Galway | Utrecht | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 17$19.8 | โฌ 19$22.1 | Galway โ11% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 11$12.8 | โฌ 6.5$7.56 | Utrecht โ41% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 40$46.5 | โฌ 35$40.7 | Utrecht โ12% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 3.9$4.53 | โฌ 3.7$4.3 | Utrecht โ5% |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 6.5$7.56 | โฌ 6$6.98 | Utrecht โ8% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 12$14 | โฌ 12$14 | similar |
| Bottled water | โฌ 1.6$1.86 | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | Utrecht โ6% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 2$2.33 | โฌ 2.2$2.56 | Galway โ9% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 13$15.1 | โฌ 20$23.3 | Galway โ35% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 8$9.3 | โฌ 12$14 | Galway โ33% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 2.2$2.56 | โฌ 3.2$3.72 | Galway โ31% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 25$29.1 | โฌ 14$16.3 | Utrecht โ44% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 150$174 | โฌ 140$163 | Utrecht โ7% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 1,600$1,860 | โฌ 1,400$1,628 | Utrecht โ12% |
| Laundry | โฌ 14$16.3 | โฌ 9$10.5 | Utrecht โ36% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 20$23.3 | โฌ 15$17.4 | Utrecht โ25% |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 17$19.8 | โฌ 25$29.1 | Galway โ32% |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 75$87.2 | โฌ 65$75.6 | Utrecht โ13% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 30$34.9 | โฌ 28$32.6 | Utrecht โ7% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 15$17.4 | โฌ 18$20.9 | Galway โ17% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Galway or Utrecht?
Utrecht is 6% cheaper than Galway. Daily budget $335 vs $342; a month $7,388 vs $6,333.
Which is easier to travel, Galway or Utrecht?
About the same: Galway 1.2/5, Utrecht 1.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Galway and Utrecht?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Galway is about $7,388 and Utrecht about $6,333 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.