Cost of living in Galway?

Question

I'm planning on moving to Galway from Australia in October. What is the cost of living like there and roughly how much money do I need to keep aside for setting up a house? Initially I'm happy to move in to some share accommodation, but eventually I'd like a two bedroom flat for myself and girlfriend. Also, what would be the general weekly cost of groceries, etc?

Answer 1

It depends what part of Galway you want to live in. Accommodation is on average about €300 a month. It will be more in the city centre and around Salthill and cheaper in the Ballybane and Renmore areas of the city. Daft.ie is a good place to look for accommodation as is the Galway Advertiser (a free newspaper that comes out once a week).

Groceries for a week would be about about €70 a week for the two of ye.

Transport shouldn't cost too much as most places are within walking distance. The buses can be very unreliable.

Going out in Galway is relatively cheap. It's a big student city so a lot of pubs have offers on during the week. Shop street and Quay street in the city centre have a load of great pubs.

Answer 2

Shared accom is best to start off as 2 bed apartments cost about €700 - € 1000 at the moment. Rent is starting to go down because of the recession. Jobs are also getting scarce. But don;t let that put you off It's a fantastic city to live in. Very small and friendly easy to get around!

Answer 3

1st of all, good choice!!

The cost of living is average - high for Ireland. If your looking to put money aside for a flat would cost you €350,000 - €500,000, depending on location.

To rent would cost roughly €80 - €120 a week again depending on location & the condition of the flat.

If your looking for somewhere to shop then look no further than Aldi or Tesco, they do the same food as local supermarkets but are actually €20 cheaper in total on average. So for 2 people you'd be looking at €120 a week on average.

Answer 4

You can also check out the Galway Advertiser for apartments, jobs, etc...

Here's the link to the apartments to give you an idea:

http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/content/c...

on an unrelated note, if you are moving to Galway, email me about that immigration issue with your girlfriend. I have some helpful advice for the two of you.