Living in Galway city and suburbs

In Galway city and suburbs, tenants pay an average rent of €2,004 a month (2026) and unemployment is 9.2% (2022).

Galway city and suburbs, a city in Ireland, had a population of 85,910 in April 2022.

Last checked 2026-10-0411 sources

Population85,910people3 Apr 2022Official source · CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size

Median gross salary (region)3,566EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)

Average rent2,004EUR/month31 Mar 2026Official source · The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026

Unemployment rate9.2%country median 9.4% — 2% belowOfficial source · Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)

Recorded crime4,247incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Regional figureOfficial source · CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter

PM2.5, annual mean7.7µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)

Which Ireland-wide rules apply when you move to Galway city and suburbs?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in IrelandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Galway city and suburbs.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Galway city and suburbs. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€76

Mobile plan, 10 GB€40

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	75.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir 500 Mbps broadband⁸Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	39.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir Mobile Essential⁹Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	2,004 EUR/month	31 Mar 2026	The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026¹¹Official

Is Galway city and suburbs a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker24%strong on work, weak on safety · range 14–34%

Skilled employee31%strong on work, weak on education · range 22–40%

Student31%strong on cost, weak on education · range 20–42%

Family25%strong on family, weak on education · range 14–36%

Retirement32%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 19–45%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Galway city and suburbs?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (2022). Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)³

Unemployment across cities in IrelandUnemployment in Galway city and suburbs is 9.2%. Of 90 cities with data, 21 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–18

Galway city and suburbs 9.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	4,270 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)¹⁰Official · county
Median gross salary (regional)	3,566 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)¹⁰Official · county
Unemployment rate	9.2 %country median 9.4%	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)³Official

What does a salary buy in Galway city and suburbs?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€854of €2,974 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.	€2,974
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026 · 2026-03-31	− €2,004
Internet€76 · official · eir 500 Mbps broadband · 2026-09-30	− €76
Mobile plan€40 · official · eir Mobile Essential · 2026-09-30	− €40
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€854

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Galway city and suburbs Salary needed to live in Galway city and suburbs

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Galway city and suburbs. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Intreo employment service — Public employment service

Department of Social Protection, Ireland

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Ireland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Galway city and suburbs. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,247 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter⁵Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Galway city and suburbs. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Education and Training Board adult English language skills and ESOL — State Language Course

The 16 Education and Training Boards across Ireland

For adult migrants, refugees, adults who need to improve English.

EnglishFree

Open official information

Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs) — Newcomer Adaptation

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

For new arrivals, people who applied for International Protection, refugees, people from Ukraine.

EnglishIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Ireland section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Galway city and suburbs.

Find courses near Galway city and suburbs

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Galway city and suburbs?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)¹

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57.7WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in IrelandAnnual PM2.5 in Galway city and suburbs is 7.7 µg/m³. Of 68 cities with data, 23 have annual PM2.5 of 7 to under 8 µg/m³.

5–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–13

Galway city and suburbs 7.7

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.7 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)¹Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Galway city and suburbs?

The published population was 85,910 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁷

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport82.5%
Foreign residents17.5%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign-resident share	18.2 %	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Foreign residents	15,029 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Female residents	44,736 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁷Official
Male residents	41,174 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁷Official
Population	85,910 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁷Official

International community in Galway city and suburbs

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	83,670	100.0%
Ireland	60,618	72.4%
Rest of World	8,367	10.0%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	5,230	6.3%
United Kingdom	4,886	5.8%
Poland	2,962	3.5%
India	1,607	1.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	83,670	100.0%
Ireland	63,793	76.2%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	5,003	6.0%
Rest of World	4,857	5.8%
Not stated	4,810	5.7%
Poland	2,633	3.1%
India	1,401	1.7%
United Kingdom	1,173	1.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Population Usually Resident and Present in the State · 2022

Published group	People	Share
All citizenships	82,989	100.0%
Ireland	63,189	76.1%
Citizenship not stated	4,632	5.6%
Poland	2,621	3.2%
India	1,399	1.7%
Other Asia(1)	1,336	1.6%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)	1,156	1.4%
Other EU27 (2020)	1,016	1.2%
Africa(1)	871	1.0%
Spain	708	0.9%

Show 17 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Brazil	592	0.7%
Italy	585	0.7%
Romania	552	0.7%
United States of America (the)	547	0.7%
Lithuania	496	0.6%
France	487	0.6%
Croatia	444	0.5%
Other America(1)	416	0.5%
Latvia	356	0.4%
Germany	353	0.4%
Multiple/Dual citizenship	280	0.3%
Rest of Europe(1)	243	0.3%
China	215	0.3%
No citizenship	139	0.2%
Ukraine	131	0.2%
Australia	128	0.2%
Other countries	97	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Alternatives for people set on Galway city and suburbs

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Cork city and suburbs as a Galway city and suburbs alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 159 km, better on 2 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Residents: 222,526 Cork city and suburbs vs 85,910 Galway city and suburbs+159%
Unemployment: 8.0% Cork city and suburbs vs 9.2% Galway city and suburbs−13%
Foreign residents: 14.1% Cork city and suburbs vs 18.2% Galway city and suburbs−23%
Median gross pay, region: €3,744 Cork city and suburbs vs €3,566 Galway city and suburbs+5%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,381 Cork city and suburbs vs 4,247 Galway city and suburbs+3%
Annual PM2.5: 7.8 µg/m³ Cork city and suburbs vs 7.7 µg/m³ Galway city and suburbssame level

Full comparison More about Cork city and suburbs

Cities near Galway city and suburbs

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Ireland

Other cities in Ireland to compare with Galway city and suburbs, nearest in population first.

All Ireland cities

Galway85,910 residents Limerick102,287 residents Waterford60,079 residents Drogheda44,135 residents Dundalk43,112 residents Swords40,776 residents

How does Galway city and suburbs compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Galway city and suburbs's.

Open the full comparison

Galway city and suburbs in rankings

#6 of 27 in Largest cities in Ireland #10 of 25 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Ireland #12 of 25 in Cities with cleanest air in Ireland #15 of 27 in Most international cities in Ireland

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Galway city and suburbs when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: English as additional language support (whole-school approach, National Strategy Literacy and Numeracy 2011). How to enrol a child (gov.ie).

A country-wide rule for Ireland; Galway city and suburbs's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Galway city and suburbs?

The published population was 85,910 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size.

Is the air quality good in Galway city and suburbs?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged).

What is the unemployment rate in Galway city and suburbs?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (2022). Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO).

What is the typical salary around Galway city and suburbs?

The median gross salary is 3,566 EUR/month. Source: NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024).

How many foreign residents live in Galway city and suburbs?

15,029 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO).

Is Galway city and suburbs a good place to live?

Galway city and suburbs may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Galway city and suburbs?

Oranmore is near Galway city and suburbs. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Ireland live in Galway city and suburbs?

The official country of birth distribution records 60,618 people (72.4%) in the source-defined population for 2022. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 25). Galway city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 6054f854f0251df600d0184f9399d5ba]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway-city-and-suburbs/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_galway-city-and-suburbs-ireland-population-rent-salary_1fcec10fe951,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Galway city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {6054f854f0251df600d0184f9399d5ba},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway-city-and-suburbs/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Galway city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway-city-and-suburbs/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 6054f854f0251df600d0184f9399d5ba; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged) discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-23
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistics Office Ireland country of birth distribution ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-28
CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter CJQ05 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-10-03
Coordinate identity evidence services-eu1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size CSO Census 2022 F5134 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
eir 500 Mbps broadband eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
eir Mobile Essential home.eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-09-28

Show 1 more source

The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026 rtb.ie · checked 2026-10-03

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.