Is Airbnb cheaper than a hotel in Galway?
Yes: in Galway, Airbnb homes asked a median €124 a night against €154 for hotels on Agoda, 19% less (latest scan 25 October 2026; priced on a typical night: Airbnb homes 91, hotels on Agoda 127). Nights measured on both sides: 71, from 13 November 2026 to 22 January 2027, read on 25 October 2026.
Measured by Bed&Market (bedandmarket.com) from 161 places checked, read 25 October 2026 17:12 UTC.
Updated
Hotels and apartments side by side
On a typical night in Galway, the middle half of asking prices ran from €119 to €234 for hotels on Agoda and from €97 to €158 for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Median asking price | Lower quarter (p25) | Upper quarter (p75) | With a price, typical night | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | €154 | €119 | €234 | 127 | 71 |
| Airbnb homes | €124 | €97 | €158 | 91 | 71 |
| All places pooled | €137 | €109 | €190 | 216 | 71 |
Each night's figure is the median (or quarter) of that night's asking prices for one night; each figure here is the median of those nights. The pooled row puts every asking price of a night into one list.
Friday and Saturday nights on each side
Friday and Saturday nights in Galway against Monday to Thursday: +30% for hotels on Agoda and +12% for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Friday + Saturday | Monday – Thursday | Weekend against Mon–Thu | Fri + Sat nights | Mon–Thu nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | €194 | €149 | +30% | 21 | 40 |
| Airbnb homes | €135 | €120 | +12% | 21 | 40 |
Medians of the nightly medians; Sunday nights sit in neither group.
Month by month
The gap in Galway was widest in January 2027: €122 for Airbnb homes against €154 for hotels on Agoda, 21% less.
| Month | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | Nights | Latest scan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | €144 | €125 | -13% | 30 | 25 October 2026 |
| December 2026 | €156 | €131 | -16% | 31 | 25 October 2026 |
| January 2027 | €154 | €122 | -21% | 22 | 25 October 2026 |
Each month is the median of its nightly medians over the nights read on both sides; the month links to its own page.
On event and holiday nights
On 26 December 2026 in Galway (Saint Stephen's Day), Airbnb homes asked a median €143 against €270 for hotels on Agoda, 47% less.
| Night | Event or holiday | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | With a price: hotels / Airbnb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day | €253 | €143 | -44% | 41 / 104 |
| 26 December 2026 | Saint Stephen's Day | €270 | €143 | -47% | 64 / 93 |
| 1 January 2027 | New Year's Day | €199 | €131 | -34% | 103 / 92 |
Each event is printed beside the night it fell on; the prices are that night's asking prices and do not say what moved them.
What counts as a hotel and an apartment here
Places with a price on a typical night in Galway: 216 in all, 127 on Agoda and 91 on Airbnb.
- Airbnb homes: the listings Airbnb's search showed with a price for one night for 2 guests, whole apartments, B&Bs and private rooms alike.
- Hotels on Agoda: every place Agoda's search showed with a price for one night for 2 adults: hotels, guesthouses, hostels and the apartments Agoda itself lists.
- A listing missing from a night's Airbnb search is unknown that night, not sold out.
- The two sites may count fees and taxes differently; each figure is the price its search showed.
What was measured
Nights measured in Galway on both sides: 71, from 13 November 2026 to 22 January 2027; each with at least 30 places showing a price on Agoda.
- Up to 161 places checked per night on Agoda; a place with no price that night (sold out or closed) is counted but carries no price.
- Prices in EUR, as shown on the day each night was read on Agoda, on 25 October 2026.
- Asking prices seen while searching for one night: not prices paid, and not a forecast.
- Airbnb nights read on 25 October 2026.
Source: asking prices for one night, read from public search results on the scan date; not prices paid, and not a forecast. How we measure →