Galway vs Swansea
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 64. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Ireland's west-coast festival and pub town
Full Galway profile →Plan a trip to Galway →Welsh seaside city on the doorstep of the Gower beaches
Full Swansea profile →Plan a trip to Swansea →Where they differ
- Safety. Galway leads on safety, 83 to 76, against Swansea. Homicides per 100,000: 0.7 vs 0.93.
- Getting there & around. Swansea leads on getting there & around, 32 to 26, against Galway. Non-stop airport destinations: 44 vs 119.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, internet, visa ease, healthcare, cost of living, quality of life, climate.
Pick Galway if you want
- to spend about $67 less a month
- the safer country figures
Pick Swansea if you want
- faster internet (61.1 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 24 ✓ | 22 |
| Safety | 83 ✓ | 76 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 88 ✓ |
| Internet | 75 | 78 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 75 | 77 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 26 | 32 ✓ |
| Climate | 17 | 17 |
| Air quality | 95 ✓ | 91 |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 97 |
Cost
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,833 ✓ | $2,900 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $2,084 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.7 ✓ | 0.93 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 78.7 ✓ | 70.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 88 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 82.4 yrs ✓ | 80.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 49.1 Mbps | 61.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 22.3 Mbps ✓ | 19.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | unlimited | home country |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 44 | 119 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Galway | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 | 2 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 9.1 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Galway or Swansea?
- Galway is cheaper: about $2,833 per month versus $2,900 for one person.
- Is Galway or Swansea safer?
- Galway scores higher on safety (83 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Galway or Swansea?
- Swansea: a measured median of 61.1 Mbps versus 49.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Galway vs Lincoln (England)
- Galway vs Leeds
- Swansea vs Leeds
- Swansea vs Lincoln (England)
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.