Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Carlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlow: $2,548 a month against $3,626 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,626

/mo nomad

Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in Carlow

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dublin and in Carlow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,626 per month in Dublin vs $2,548 in Carlow, rent included.

Dublin $3,626
Carlow $2,548

A couple spends around $5,179 per month in Dublin vs $3,814 in Carlow, rent included.

Dublin $5,179
Carlow $3,814

A family of three spends $6,731 per month in Dublin vs $5,081 in Carlow, rent included.

Dublin $6,731
Carlow $5,081

Dublin costs about 42% more than Carlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dublin and Carlow sit above the global median – Dublin by 168%, Carlow by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.12 €20.56

$21.01 €18.69

10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 €91.4

$90.7 €80.7

13.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.14

$13.10 €11.65

4.20%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.45

$4.25 €3.78

17.88%

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

$2.85 €2.53

$2.67 €2.37

6.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.22 €1.97

-1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 €6.89

$7.41 €6.59

4.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 €6.80

$6.54 €5.82

16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.64 €1.46

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.99 €1.77

27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.91 €1.69

7.33%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.47

$4.35 €3.87

15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 €8.81

$13.47 €11.98

-26.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 €14.14

$14.43 €12.84

10.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.19 €2.84

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.00 €2.67

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$3.33 €2.96

-19.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 €4.81

$3.29 €2.92

64.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.37 €2.11

-18.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.76 €1.57

-11.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.33 €1.19

58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.29 €18.94

$18.84 €16.76

13.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$13.53 €12.04

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.05

$4.27 €3.80

-19.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.25 €1.11

75.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 €95.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.28 €4.70

$5.11 €4.55

3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.54 €1.37

-0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.07

$32.43 €28.85

14.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.09 €1.86

4.78%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$38.6K €34.4K

0.84%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$38.1K €33.9K

-0.99%

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

$278 €247

$243 €216

14.34%

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

$18.62 €16.57

$22.26 €19.80

-16.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 €47.56

$56.4 €50.2

-5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 €61.0

$78.8 €70.1

-13.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.38

$56.1 €49.93

-63.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 €13.95

$13.59 €12.09

15.45%

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

$1,276 €1,135

$1,052 €936

21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$5,449 €4,847

160.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.3

$95.3 €84.8

14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 €44.14

$42.63 €37.92

16.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €103

$101 €89.8

15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$102 €90.3

30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,453 €2,182

$1,441 €1,282

70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 €1,900

$1,261 €1,121

69.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,370 €3,887

$2,596 €2,310

68.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 €3,016

$2,152 €1,914

57.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,688 €8,617

$5,664 €5,038

71.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,902 €5,250

$6,675 €5,937

-11.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,862 €3,435

$2,351 €2,091

64.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-4.50%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.1K 58.9%

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5% 41% $876

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10.1%

Carlow

$361 14.2% 1.8% $6.7

Eating Out

Dublin

$360 9.9%

Carlow

$328 12.9% 8.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.7%

Carlow

$322 12.6% 8.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$183 5.1%

Carlow

$153 6% 16.5% $30

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.6%

Carlow

$18 * 0.7% 86.2% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$100 2.8%

Carlow

$106 4.2% 6.1% $6.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,453 in Dublin versus $1,441 in Carlow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Dublin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Dublin versus $91.0 in Carlow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $361 – making Carlow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Carlow

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

27,351

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dublin Carlow 72 km

From you

Dublin
Carlow

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Carlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dublin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,439 per month in Dublin and $3,822 in Carlow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carlow, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,626 in Dublin and $2,548 in Carlow. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $1,276 per month in Dublin and $1,052 in Carlow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Carlow, where all-in costs run around $2,548, than in Dublin at $3,626. In Carlow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Carlow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Carlow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.