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: $3,448 in Dublin versus $2,552 in Canterbury.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,080 in Dublin versus $3,812 in Canterbury.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,712 in Dublin versus $5,071 in Canterbury.

Living in Dublin is roughly 35% more expensive than in Canterbury, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 158% above, Canterbury 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.37 €20.46

$27.09 £20.17

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 €90.3

$82.1 £61.1

25.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.64 €11.07

$10.38 £7.73

21.77%

Cappuccino

$4.75 €4.16

$4.36 £3.25

8.94%

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

$2.55 €2.24

$1.74 £1.29

46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.89

$1.65 £1.23

30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 €7.07

$6.56 £4.88

23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 €6.15

$6.23 £4.64

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.51

$1.42 £1.05

21.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.96

$1.31 £0.97

70.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.82

$1.92 £1.43

7.81%

Eggs

$4.69 €4.11

$3.63 £2.70

29.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 €9.79

$9.85 £7.34

13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.43 €10.01

$8.06 £6.00

41.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 €12.33

$12.84 £9.56

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.79

$2.66 £1.98

19.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.85

$1.49 £1.11

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.50

$2.66 £1.98

7.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.72

$2.75 £2.04

96.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.88

$1.43 £1.07

50.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.53

$1.45 £1.08

20.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.20

$0.73 £0.54

87.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.84

$1.51 £1.12

39.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.94 €18.34

$20.61 £15.35

1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 €11.84

$15.77 £11.74

-14.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 €3.12

$2.23 £1.66

59.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.46

$4.47 £3.33

-11.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €1.99

$3.30 £2.46

-31.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 €84.6

$224 £167

-56.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 €4.71

$5.28 £3.93

1.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.53 £1.14

39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.69 €33.88

$15.12 £11.26

155.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.92 £1.43

7.29%

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

$42.9K €37.6K

$39.1K £29.1K

9.72%

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

$40.2K €35.2K

$41.8K £31.1K

-3.93%

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

$284 €249

$226 £168

25.73%

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

$23.59 €20.66

$18.77 £13.97

25.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 €50.5

$44.22 £32.92

30.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 €52.2

$46.56 £34.66

28.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.64

$36.62 £27.26

-41.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 €13.29

$13.68 £10.19

10.89%

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

$1,338 €1,172

$1,113 £829

20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,412 €8,243

$16.1K £12.0K

-41.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €91.2

$82.6 £61.5

26.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.58 €42.55

$49.62 £36.94

-2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €99.8

$110 £81.8

3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €113

$98.6 £73.4

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,368 €2,074

$1,363 £1,015

73.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 €1,749

$1,170 £871

70.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,127 €3,615

$2,192 £1,632

88.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,271 €2,865

$1,833 £1,365

78.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,299 €7,268

$5,245 £3,905

58.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,513 €4,828

$4,388 £3,267

25.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,946 €3,456

$3,261 £2,428

21.00%

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: July 13, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,368 in Dublin and $1,363 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 21% 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 $82.0 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $284 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 35% 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 21% 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: $2,368 in Dublin versus $1,363 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,338 in Dublin versus $1,113 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Dublin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,552 in Canterbury versus $3,448 in Dublin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Canterbury but tight or insufficient in Dublin. The gap between the two cities makes Canterbury the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Canterbury delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,552 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 35% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.