Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and San José, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $918 a month against $3,690 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,690

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in San José

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

A single person spends $3,690 per month in Dublin vs $918 in San José, rent included.

Dublin $3,690
San José $918

A couple spends around $5,210 per month in Dublin vs $1,456 in San José, rent included.

Dublin $5,210
San José $1,456

A family of three spends $6,731 per month in Dublin vs $1,995 in San José, rent included.

Dublin $6,731
San José $1,995

Dublin costs about 302% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dublin sits 173% above the global median, while San José is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.63 €20.25

$13.30 UYU 535

70.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.8

$44.40 UYU 1,786

126.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.89

$13.94 UYU 561

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$5.00 €4.47

$4.83 UYU 194

3.52%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.28 UYU 91.9

31.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.27 UYU 91.3

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.03

$2.96 UYU 119

165.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 €6.94

$3.61 UYU 145

114.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.00 UYU 40.19

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.01 UYU 80.8

21.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.46 UYU 58.6

41.78%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.60

$2.57 UYU 103

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 €9.31

$11.91 UYU 479

-12.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.47

$7.35 UYU 296

74.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.49

$11.68 UYU 470

38.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.21 UYU 48.70

123.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.51 UYU 60.5

45.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.23 UYU 49.38

113.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 €4.68

$1.53 UYU 61.4

241.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$0.97 UYU 39.14

107.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.23 UYU 49.35

25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.56 UYU 62.9

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.97 UYU 79.2

2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.94 €18.74

$10.18 UYU 409

105.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 €12.22

$8.31 UYU 334

64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$3.03 UYU 122

9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.07

$3.23 UYU 130

6.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 €1.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 €97.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.42

$3.54 UYU 142

39.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.35

$3.43 UYU 138

-56.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 €29.68

$9.87 UYU 397

236.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.22 UYU 89.4

-5.86%

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

$39.0K €34.9K

$35.4K UYU 1.4M

10.03%

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

$38.2K €34.2K

$39.7K UYU 1.6M

-3.63%

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

$279 €250

$115 UYU 4,628

142.50%

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

$18.14 €16.24

$23.51 UYU 946

-22.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 €47.80

$47.19 UYU 1,898

13.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 €58.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 €18.15

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 €13.80

$12.41 UYU 499

24.25%

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

$1,260 €1,128

$498 UYU 20.0K

153.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$6,594 UYU 265.2K

77.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.3

$89.3 UYU 3,591

21.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.45

$37.39 UYU 1,504

35.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$165 UYU 6,631

-32.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$120 UYU 4,821

8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 €1,977

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,258 €3,810

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,424 €3,064

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,503 €7,609

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,983 €5,354

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,741 €3,348

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

-23.80%

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

Last update for Dublin: November 2, 2026

Last update for San José: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.9%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$366 9.9%

San José

$255 27.8% 30.3% $111

Eating Out

Dublin

$357 9.7%

San José

$246 26.9% 31% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$351 9.5%

San José

$186 20.3% 47% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

San José

$185 20.2% 2.5% $4.5

Getting Around

Dublin

$130 3.5%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 84.1% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$97 2.6%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 74.3% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Dublin versus $44 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $255 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

3 h behind Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.95 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dublin San José 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,690 in Dublin, $918 in San José – San José comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,535 per month in Dublin and $1,376 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,690 in Dublin and $918 in San José. That makes San José about 75% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,260 per month in Dublin and $498 in San José. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,690 in Dublin and $918 in San José. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Dublin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in San José to $3,690 in Dublin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.