Galway has been ranked as the sixth least affordable city in Europe for renters, with the cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre consuming nearly 80% of the average local salary.
According to new research from financial media platform TradingPedia, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom city-centre apartment in Galway reached €2,100 last month.
Based on an average net monthly salary of €2,701, renters are spending 77.8% of their take-home pay on housing costs alone.
After paying rent, the average tenant is left with just €601 per month, equivalent to 22.2% of their salary.
The study also found that disposable income for Galway renters has fallen by €387 compared with April 2025.
The findings place Galway as the least affordable rental market in Ireland and ahead of 124 other European cities surveyed.
The western city ranked as proportionally more expensive than major urban centres including Rome, London, Berlin and Paris when rent is measured against average local earnings.
Dublin and Cork also featured in the rankings, highlighting ongoing affordability challenges across Ireland’s major cities.
Dublin was ranked 25th, with the average renter spending 61.7% of their net monthly income on a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre. Average rents in the capital stood at €2,142 per month, leaving tenants with approximately €1,328 from an average post-tax salary of €3,470.
Cork performed considerably better, ranking 66th overall.
Average city-centre rents of €1,682 account for less than 45% of the city’s average net monthly salary of €3,756, leaving residents with significantly greater disposable income after housing costs.
The report notes that affordability figures may be influenced by income disparities within city centres, where many residents renting centrally located apartments earn substantially more than the city-wide average salary.
At the top of the European rankings was Lisbon, where the average rent for a one-bedroom city-centre apartment equates to 99% of the average local salary.
With rents averaging €1,331 per month, residents are left with just €15 after paying for accommodation.
The Portuguese capital has faced growing housing affordability pressures in recent years, partly linked to an influx of higher-earning remote workers relocating from abroad.
