Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Cavan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavan: $2,462 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dublin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cavan
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Cavan Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Cavan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in Cavan

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 Cavan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,729 in Dublin versus $2,462 in Cavan.

Dublin $3,729
Cavan $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,239 in Dublin versus $3,757 in Cavan.

Dublin $5,239
Cavan $3,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,748 in Dublin versus $5,052 in Cavan.

Dublin $6,748
Cavan $5,052

Living in Dublin is roughly 51% more expensive than in Cavan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 176% above, Cavan 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.97

$16.46 €14.64

43.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$88.9 €79.1

13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.00

$16.94 €15.06

-20.31%

Cappuccino

$4.82 €4.29

$3.38 €3.01

42.60%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$3.26 €2.90

-11.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.97 €1.75

13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €6.94

$6.12 €5.44

27.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 €6.51

$6.70 €5.96

9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.20 €1.07

38.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.19 €1.95

10.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.58 €1.40

25.32%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.35

$4.29 €3.82

14.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 €8.91

$13.36 €11.88

-25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$15.58 €13.86

-17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 €14.04

$10.23 €9.10

54.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$5.62 €5.00

-49.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.69 €2.39

-19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$6.85 €6.09

-61.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 €4.71

$4.76 €4.24

11.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.76 €2.46

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.15 €1.02

28.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.21 €1.08

8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.10 €0.98

83.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 €18.48

$18.22 €16.21

14.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.12

$13.32 €11.84

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.56 €4.05

-24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$5.71 €5.07

-39.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$311 €277

-64.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.49

$5.73 €5.10

-11.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.01 €32.92

$11.38 €10.12

225.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.06 €1.83

4.37%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$37.3K €33.1K

4.40%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$36.0K €32.0K

9.77%

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

$281 €250

$241 €214

16.75%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$22.48 €19.99

-20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 €45.88

$48.06 €42.74

7.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$113 €100

-39.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 €18.28

$33.42 €29.72

-38.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.74

$22.14 €19.69

-30.22%

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

$1,281 €1,140

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.0

$90.4 €80.4

18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.51

$28.24 €25.12

81.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$89.2 €79.3

25.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$34.06 €30.29

280.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,163 €1,034

115.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 €1,997

$889 €791

152.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,443 €3,951

$2,077 €1,847

113.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 €3,051

$1,587 €1,411

116.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,378 €8,341

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,995 €5,332

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 €3,481

$2,996 €2,664

30.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.05

-5.68%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cavan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2%

Cavan

$889 36.1% 60.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 9.7%

Cavan

$391 15.9% 7.6% $27

Eating Out

Dublin

$361 9.7%

Cavan

$288 11.7% 20.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.4%

Cavan

$311 12.6% 11.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$180 4.8%

Cavan

$109 4.4% 39.4% $71

Getting Around

Dublin

$131 3.5%

Cavan

$317 * 12.9% 142% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$99 2.7%

Cavan

$157 6.4% 59% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,503 in Dublin and $1,163 in Cavan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 31% 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: $101 in Dublin vs $89.0 in Cavan. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $391, with Dublin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Cavan

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

11,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dublin Cavan 100 km

From you

Dublin
Cavan

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 Cavan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dublin and Cavan differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($3,729 vs $2,462 including rent). Cavan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $2,503 in Dublin versus $1,163 in Cavan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dublin pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,729 per month in Dublin versus $2,462 in Cavan – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,462 in Cavan versus $3,729 in Dublin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cavan but tight or insufficient in Dublin. The gap between the two cities makes Cavan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dublin and Cavan 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 Cavan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.