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: $3,817 in Dublin versus $2,973 in Canterbury.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,431 in Dublin versus $4,254 in Canterbury.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,044 in Dublin versus $5,535 in Canterbury.

Living in Dublin is roughly 28% more expensive than in Canterbury, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 178% above, Canterbury 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 €21.79

$24.85 £18.37

1.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 €88.8

$91.2 £67.4

13.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.99 €12.03

$10.65 £7.87

31.36%

Cappuccino

$5.02 €4.32

$4.83 £3.57

3.93%

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

$3.09 €2.66

$2.61 £1.93

18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.02

$2.21 £1.63

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 €7.14

$7.29 £5.39

13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.77 €6.68

$6.75 £4.99

15.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.40

$1.56 £1.15

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 €2.09

$1.30 £0.96

86.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.73 £1.28

16.76%

Eggs

$5.10 €4.38

$3.29 £2.43

55.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 €8.88

$9.80 £7.25

5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 €11.26

$8.06 £5.96

62.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.53 €14.21

$28.12 £20.79

-41.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.64

$3.13 £2.32

-1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.00

$1.44 £1.06

61.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.53

$3.19 £2.36

-7.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 €4.84

$3.21 £2.37

75.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.71

$1.68 £1.24

18.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.32

$1.50 £1.11

2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.17

$1.80 £1.33

-23.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.85 £2.10

-28.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.93 €18.85

$23.64 £17.47

-7.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 €12.14

$16.31 £12.05

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 €3.03

$2.70 £2.00

30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 €2.98

$4.05 £2.99

-14.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.04

$4.09 £3.02

-42.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €97.5

$148 £110

-23.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.67

$5.11 £3.78

6.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 €1.37

$2.66 £1.96

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 €33.78

$22.20 £16.41

76.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.83

$1.92 £1.42

10.94%

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

$40.8K €35.1K

$38.1K £28.2K

7.15%

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

$40.9K €35.1K

$42.2K £31.2K

-3.15%

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

$271 €233

$398 £294

-31.89%

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

$19.42 €16.70

$35.50 £26.24

-45.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 €47.60

$41.20 £30.46

34.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 €60.9

$56.2 £41.51

26.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.26 €18.28

$38.62 £28.55

-44.95%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 €13.07

$20.24 £14.96

-24.90%

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

$1,361 €1,170

$855 £632

59.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €12.6K

$20.7K £15.3K

-29.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €94.5

$98.9 £73.1

11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 €46.03

$28.48 £21.05

87.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €98.6

$78.2 £57.8

46.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €112

$149 £110

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,559 €2,200

$1,445 £1,068

77.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 €1,986

$1,392 £1,029

65.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 €3,993

$2,427 £1,794

91.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 €3,014

$2,005 £1,482

74.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,855 €7,613

$5,295 £3,914

67.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,857 €5,036

$4,419 £3,267

32.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,884 €3,339

$3,317 £2,452

17.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.51

-30.67%

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

Last update for Dublin: August 29, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,559 in Dublin and $1,445 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 17% 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 $91.0 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $376 vs $360 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 28% 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.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Dublin, 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: $2,559 in Dublin versus $1,445 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,361 in Dublin versus $855 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% 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 $2,973 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 28% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.