Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Portlaoise

For one person, living is cheaper in Portlaoise: $2,347 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in Portlaoise

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

A single person spends $3,729 per month in Dublin vs $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Dublin $3,729
Portlaoise $2,347

A couple spends around $5,239 per month in Dublin vs $3,746 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Dublin $5,239
Portlaoise $3,746

A family of three spends $6,748 per month in Dublin vs $5,145 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Dublin $6,748
Portlaoise $5,145

Dublin costs about 59% more than Portlaoise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dublin and Portlaoise sit above the global median – Dublin by 176%, Portlaoise by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.97

$22.70 €20.19

3.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$78.5 €69.8

28.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.00

$12.72 €11.31

6.13%

Cappuccino

$4.82 €4.29

$4.40 €3.91

9.55%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$2.50 €2.22

14.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.70 €1.51

31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €6.94

$6.60 €5.87

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 €6.51

$6.12 €5.44

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.71 €1.52

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.25 €2.00

7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.86 €1.65

6.45%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.35

$4.62 €4.11

6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 €8.91

$14.04 €12.48

-28.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$12.88 €11.45

-0.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 €14.04

$16.74 €14.89

-5.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$3.32 €2.95

-14.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.94 €2.62

-26.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.26 €2.90

-18.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 €4.71

$4.86 €4.32

8.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.32 €2.07

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.73 €1.54

-14.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.38 €1.23

-5.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.10 €1.87

-3.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 €18.48

$20.38 €18.12

1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.12

$13.49 €12.00

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.10 €3.64

-16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.61 €3.21

-4.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$4.66 €4.14

-53.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$44.08 €39.21

147.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.49

$5.23 €4.65

-3.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.01 €32.92

$33.30 €29.62

11.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.03 €1.80

5.91%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$38.8K €34.5K

0.18%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$38.0K €33.8K

3.85%

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

$281 €250

$239 €212

17.67%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$21.79 €19.38

-17.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 €45.88

$55.6 €49.40

-7.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$55.3 €49.22

22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 €18.28

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.74

$13.45 €11.96

14.87%

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

$1,281 €1,140

$1,072 €953

19.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$5,427 €4,827

161.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.0

$94.5 €84.0

13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.51

$42.66 €37.94

19.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$108 €96.2

3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$121 €108

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,229 €1,093

103.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 €1,997

$984 €875

128.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,443 €3,951

$2,264 €2,014

96.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 €3,051

$2,151 €1,913

59.53%

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

$2,785 €2,477

40.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.5

9.14%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2%

Portlaoise

$984 41.9% 56.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 9.7%

Portlaoise

$390 16.6% 7.2% $26

Eating Out

Dublin

$361 9.7%

Portlaoise

$335 14.3% 7.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.4%

Portlaoise

$316 13.5% 9.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$180 4.8%

Portlaoise

$165 7% 8.2% $15

Getting Around

Dublin

$131 3.5%

Portlaoise

$76 3.2% 42.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$99 2.7%

Portlaoise

$82 3.5% 16.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,503 in Dublin versus $1,229 in Portlaoise. 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 41% 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 $101 in Dublin versus $78.0 in Portlaoise. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Dublin vs $390 in Portlaoise – so Dublin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

23,494

💱 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 Portlaoise 78 km

From you

Dublin
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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 Portlaoise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,729 in Dublin, $2,347 in Portlaoise – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,594 per month in Dublin and $3,521 in Portlaoise. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Dublin and $78.0 in Portlaoise. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,729 in Dublin and $2,347 in Portlaoise. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Portlaoise, where all-in costs run around $2,347, than in Dublin at $3,729. In Portlaoise it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dublin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,347 in Portlaoise to $3,729 in Dublin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Portlaoise. 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.