Living in Galway

In Galway, unemployment is 9.2% (2022).

The unemployment rate was 9.2% in April 2022. The foreign population count was 15,029 in April 2022. Annual PM2.5 was 8 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1911 sources

Population85,910people3 Apr 2022Official source · Census 2022 BUA population

Unemployment rate9.2%country median 9.4% — 2% belowOfficial source · CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town

PM2.5, annual mean8µg/m³country median 7.0 — 14% aboveOfficial source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — IE 2024 PM2.5 station data

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

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.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€76

Transport pass€60

Mobile plan, 10 GB€40

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	75.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir 500 Mbps broadband⁶Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	39.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir Mobile Essential⁷Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	60 EUR/month	26 Jul 2026	Public Transport¹¹Official

Is Galway 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 worker42%strong on work, weak on safety · range 32–52%

Skilled employee54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 44–64%

Student51%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 39–63%

Family50%strong on family, weak on safety · range 38–62%

Retirement50%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–62%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Galway?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town⁴

Unemployment across cities in IrelandUnemployment in Galway 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 9.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	9.2 %country median 9.4%	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town⁴Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Galway. 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. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public transport access	Bus Éireann / Iarnród Éireann (NTA Galway area)	27 Aug 2026	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Nearest airport	NNR	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Distance to nearest airport	28 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Galway. 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.

Find courses near Galway

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Galway?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — IE 2024 PM2.5 station data⁵

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

PM2.58WHO 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 is 8.0 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 8.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8 µg/m³country median 7.0	31 Dec 2024	EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — IE 2024 PM2.5 station data⁵Official
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 13.49 · Feb 13.91 · Mar 18.33 · Apr 21.05 · May 25.71 · Jun 30.28 · Jul 29.89 · Aug 29.43 · Sep 23.78 · Oct 20.41 · Nov 15.7 · Dec 13.56 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -6.69 · Feb -3.32 · Mar -3.77 · Apr -2.72 · May 0.47 · Jun 3.61 · Jul 5.85 · Aug 6.03 · Sep 1.91 · Oct -0.87 · Nov -3 · Dec -7.61 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 4.95 · Feb 4.92 · Mar 6.07 · Apr 8.54 · May 11.43 · Jun 14.21 · Jul 15.44 · Aug 14.99 · Sep 13.24 · Oct 10.18 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 5.34 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Galway?

The published population was 85,910 people in 2022. Source: Census 2022 BUA population¹

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 15,029 is not 23.8% of the population. Each row names its source.

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	23.76 %	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Foreign residents	15,029 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence³Official
City area	50.6 km²	31 Dec 2022	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Population density	1,690 people/km²	31 Dec 2022	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Population	85,910 people	3 Apr 2022	Census 2022 BUA population¹Official

Population over time7 published observations, 1996–2022

49,088

62,271

75,455

88,638

85,9101996200420062022

Population rose 65.8% between 1996 and 2022, from 51,816 to 85,910.

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Administrative handoff status	https://www.irishimmigration.ie/ url	27 Aug 2026	migrationfit.com⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Galway

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.

Dublin as a Galway alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Residents: 1,263,219 Dublin vs 85,910 Galway+1370%
Nearest airport: 11.0 km Dublin vs 28.0 km Galway−61%
Unemployment: 8.3% Dublin vs 9.2% Galway−10%
Foreign residents: 22.4% Dublin vs 23.8% Galway−6%
Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Dublin vs 8.0 µg/m³ Galwaysame level

Full comparison More about Dublin

Alternative cities in Ireland

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

All Ireland cities

Galway city and suburbs85,910 residents Limerick102,287 residents Waterford60,079 residents Drogheda44,135 residents Dundalk43,112 residents Swords40,776 residents

How does Galway compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Galway in rankings

#3 of 27 in Most international cities in Ireland #5 of 27 in Largest cities in Ireland #9 of 25 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Ireland #16 of 25 in Cities with cleanest air in Ireland

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Galway 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'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?

The published population was 85,910 people in 2022. Source: Census 2022 BUA population.

Is the air quality good in Galway?

What is the unemployment rate in Galway?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town.

How many foreign residents live in Galway?

15,029 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence.

How much is public transport in Galway?

A monthly transport pass is 60 EUR/month. Source: Public Transport.

Is Galway a good place to live?

Galway 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.

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, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 60ed995c61a0a6621eba3e1fa01e5aaa]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_galway-ireland-population-cost-of-living-jobs-climate_380520a53e96,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Galway, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {60ed995c61a0a6621eba3e1fa01e5aaa},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Galway, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/galway/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 60ed995c61a0a6621eba3e1fa01e5aaa; 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

Census 2022 BUA population cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) cso.ie · checked 2026-08-03
CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence CSO Census 2022 F5003 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town CSO Census 2022 F7115 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — IE 2024 PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
eir 500 Mbps broadband eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
eir Mobile Essential home.eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03

Show 1 more source

Public Transport galwaycity.ie · checked 2026-07-26

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.