Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Swords: $2,598 a month against $3,629 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,629

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in Swords

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

A single person spends $3,629 per month in Dublin vs $2,598 in Swords, rent included.

Dublin $3,629
Swords $2,598

A couple spends around $5,130 per month in Dublin vs $3,804 in Swords, rent included.

Dublin $5,130
Swords $3,804

A family of three spends $6,631 per month in Dublin vs $5,010 in Swords, rent included.

Dublin $6,631
Swords $5,010

Dublin costs about 40% more than Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dublin and Swords sit above the global median – Dublin by 167%, Swords by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.23 €20.87

$22.16 €19.91

4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.6

$98.6 €88.6

3.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.93

$13.20 €11.86

0.61%

Cappuccino

$4.91 €4.41

$4.93 €4.43

-0.41%

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

$2.98 €2.68

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.16 €1.94

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.12

$8.03 €7.21

-1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 €6.98

$6.74 €6.05

15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.58 €1.42

3.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.35 €2.11

2.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.03 €1.83

1.48%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.42

$4.24 €3.81

16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 €8.86

$9.89 €8.89

-0.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.50 €11.24

$10.86 €9.76

15.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.59

$13.29 €11.94

22.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.75 €2.47

2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.27 €2.04

-2.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.53

$2.79 €2.51

0.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.63

$4.17 €3.75

23.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.68

$1.87 €1.68

-0.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 €1.33

-0.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.30 €1.16

1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.90 €1.70

11.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.86 €18.74

$20.52 €18.44

1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.24 €11.90

$13.39 €12.03

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.08

$3.35 €3.01

2.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.15

$3.45 €3.10

1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.26 €2.03

1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €95.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.73

$5.00 €4.49

5.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.05 €34.19

$37.35 €33.55

1.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.16 €1.94

-2.78%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$38.6K €34.7K

-0.38%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$38.0K €34.1K

-0.62%

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

$269 €241

$246 €221

9.05%

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

$18.56 €16.67

$18.68 €16.78

-0.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.73

$51.2 €45.97

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 €57.3

$40.58 €36.46

57.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.81 €18.70

Cinema Ticket

$15.64 €14.05

$13.43 €12.07

16.46%

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

$1,269 €1,140

$1,010 €907

25.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K €13.0K

$5,183 €4,656

178.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.7

$100 €90.0

5.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.88

$48.06 €43.18

6.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$108 €97.1

5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €118

$113 €101

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,475 €2,223

$1,556 €1,398

59.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 €1,942

$1,342 €1,206

61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,319 €3,881

$2,584 €2,322

67.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,331 €2,993

$2,165 €1,945

53.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,467 €7,608

$4,721 €4,242

79.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 €5,319

$3,447 €3,097

71.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,706 €3,330

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.68

3.53%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 24, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.6%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 37.9% $820

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 10%

Swords

$335 12.9% 7.9% $29

Eating Out

Dublin

$360 9.9%

Swords

$350 13.5% 2.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$340 9.4%

Swords

$316 12.2% 7.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 5%

Swords

$166 6.4% 8% $15

Getting Around

Dublin

$128 3.5%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 83.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$95 2.6%

Swords

$67 2.6% 29% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,475 in Dublin versus $1,556 in Swords. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin versus $99 in Swords. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $335 – making Swords the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

40,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dublin Swords 13 km

From you

Dublin
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,629 in Dublin, $2,598 in Swords – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,444 per month in Dublin and $3,897 in Swords. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swords, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,556 there versus $2,475 in Dublin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,629 in Dublin and $2,598 in Swords. That’s a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $1,269 per month in Dublin and $1,010 in Swords. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Swords, where all-in costs run around $2,598, than in Dublin at $3,629. In Swords it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Swords – 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.