Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Canterbury Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Canterbury

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,414 in Dublin versus $2,642 in Canterbury.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,972 in Dublin versus $3,812 in Canterbury.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,530 in Dublin versus $4,982 in Canterbury.

Living in Dublin is roughly 29% more expensive than Canterbury, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 155% above, Canterbury 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.50 €20.23

$26.42 £19.69

-11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 €88.9

$80.4 £59.9

28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.95 €11.15

$10.38 £7.73

24.76%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €3.94

$4.45 £3.32

2.92%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.20

$1.77 £1.32

44.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.70 £1.27

24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.28 €7.13

$6.83 £5.09

21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 €5.99

$6.08 £4.53

14.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.43

$1.43 £1.06

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.92

$1.35 £1.01

65.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 €1.79

$1.92 £1.43

8.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.16

$3.63 £2.70

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 €9.50

$10.18 £7.58

8.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €9.77

$8.05 £6.00

40.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 €11.99

$13.00 £9.69

7.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.82

$2.66 £1.98

22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.49 £1.11

37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.57

$2.68 £2.00

11.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.38 €4.63

$2.71 £2.02

98.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.84

$1.48 £1.10

44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.45 £1.08

19.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.12

$0.72 £0.53

81.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.79

$1.56 £1.17

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €17.67

$20.76 £15.46

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 €12.16

$15.94 £11.88

-11.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 €3.15

$2.34 £1.74

56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.42

$4.46 £3.32

-10.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €1.98

$3.44 £2.56

-33.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.8 €84.2

$225 £168

-56.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.70

$5.24 £3.90

4.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 €1.76

$1.60 £1.19

27.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.53 €34.03

$15.19 £11.31

160.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.77

$1.94 £1.45

6.19%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$43.3K €37.2K

$37.8K £28.1K

14.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K €34.6K

$41.1K £30.6K

-1.99%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$285 €245

$229 £170

24.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.65 €20.36

$19.48 £14.51

21.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 €48.74

$43.21 £32.19

31.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 €51.2

$46.02 £34.29

29.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.34 €18.37

$37.44 £27.89

-43.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 €12.74

$13.33 £9.93

11.03%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,146

$1,132 £843

17.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,690 €8,342

$16.4K £12.2K

-40.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €91.0

$83.0 £61.8

27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.56 €42.67

$50.1 £37.34

-1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €102

$111 £82.9

6.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €108

$98.5 £73.4

27.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 €2,021

$1,357 £1,011

72.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 €1,695

$1,170 £871

68.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,125 €3,551

$2,191 £1,633

88.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,292 €2,834

$1,853 £1,380

77.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,693 €7,484

$5,210 £3,881

66.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,643 €4,858

$4,419 £3,292

27.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,956 €3,406

$3,101 £2,310

27.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.53

-26.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dublin: May 30, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,347 in Dublin and $1,357 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 28% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $103 in Dublin vs $80.0 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $288 per month, with Canterbury cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dublin vs Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canterbury wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Dublin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Canterbury the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Dublin pays 28% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,347 in Dublin versus $1,357 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,331 in Dublin versus $1,132 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Dublin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Canterbury is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Canterbury delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,642 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Canterbury hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dublin and Canterbury are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Canterbury gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.