Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Waterford

For one person, living is cheaper in Waterford: $2,687 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dublin and in Waterford

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

A single person spends $3,729 per month in Dublin vs $2,687 in Waterford, rent included.

Dublin $3,729
Waterford $2,687

A couple spends around $5,239 per month in Dublin vs $3,901 in Waterford, rent included.

Dublin $5,239
Waterford $3,901

A family of three spends $6,748 per month in Dublin vs $5,115 in Waterford, rent included.

Dublin $6,748
Waterford $5,115

Dublin costs about 39% more than Waterford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dublin and Waterford sit above the global median – Dublin by 176%, Waterford by 99%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.97

$22.19 €19.74

6.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$91.1 €81.0

10.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.00

$12.03 €10.70

12.22%

Cappuccino

$4.82 €4.29

$4.15 €3.69

16.14%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$3.04 €2.70

-5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.06 €1.83

8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €6.94

$7.32 €6.51

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 €6.51

$6.00 €5.33

22.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.43 €1.27

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.33 €2.07

3.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.27 €2.02

-12.78%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.35

$4.38 €3.89

11.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 €8.91

$15.70 €13.96

-36.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$10.97 €9.76

16.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 €14.04

$13.36 €11.89

18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.93 €2.61

-2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.19 €1.95

-0.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.07 €2.73

-13.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 €4.71

$4.01 €3.56

31.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.48 €1.31

24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.51 €1.34

-1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.25 €1.11

4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.87 €1.66

8.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 €18.48

$18.37 €16.34

13.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.12

$14.06 €12.50

-3.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.08 €2.74

11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.12 €2.77

10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.84 €2.53

-22.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$62.4 €55.5

74.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.49

$5.07 €4.51

-0.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.42 €1.26

9.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.01 €32.92

$54.9 €48.81

-32.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.02 €1.80

6.44%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$38.5K €34.2K

1.15%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$37.2K €33.1K

6.17%

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

$281 €250

$243 €217

15.37%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$21.08 €18.75

-14.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 €45.88

$49.89 €44.37

3.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$49.49 €44.02

37.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 €18.28

$14.17 €12.60

45.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.74

$16.96 €15.08

-8.90%

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

$1,281 €1,140

$985 €876

30.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.0

$79.1 €70.4

35.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.51

$48.30 €42.96

5.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$109 €97.1

2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$112 €100

15.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,697 €1,509

47.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 €1,997

$1,363 €1,212

64.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,443 €3,951

$2,555 €2,272

73.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 €3,051

$2,145 €1,907

59.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,378 €8,341

$3,136 €2,789

199.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,995 €5,332

$2,573 €2,288

133.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 €3,481

$3,161 €2,812

23.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.14

-7.73%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Waterford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2%

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7% 39.3% $882

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 9.7%

Waterford

$351 13.1% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Dublin

$361 9.7%

Waterford

$332 12.4% 7.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.4%

Waterford

$314 11.7% 10.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$180 4.8%

Waterford

$157 5.9% 12.6% $23

Getting Around

Dublin

$131 3.5%

Waterford

$86 3.2% 34.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$99 2.7%

Waterford

$83 3.1% 15.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,503 in Dublin versus $1,697 in Waterford. 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 24% 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 $91.0 in Waterford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $351 – making Waterford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇮🇪 Waterford

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

40,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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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 Waterford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,729 in Dublin, $2,687 in Waterford – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,594 per month in Dublin and $4,031 in Waterford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Waterford, 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 $91.0 in Waterford. 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 $2,687 in Waterford. That's a gap of about 39%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,729 in Dublin and $2,687 in Waterford. 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 $2,687 in Waterford 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 Waterford. 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.