Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dundalk and Dublin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dundalk: $2,559 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Dundalk
Learn more

Dundalk Living Index
180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
Learn more

Dublin Living Index

Jump to prices

Dundalk

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,559

/mo nomad

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dundalk and in Dublin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dundalk and in Dublin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Dundalk vs $3,729 in Dublin, rent included.

Dundalk $2,559
Dublin $3,729

A couple spends around $3,749 per month in Dundalk vs $5,239 in Dublin, rent included.

Dundalk $3,749
Dublin $5,239

A family of three spends $4,939 per month in Dundalk vs $6,748 in Dublin, rent included.

Dundalk $4,939
Dublin $6,748

Dundalk is about 31% cheaper than Dublin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dundalk and Dublin sit above the global median – Dundalk by 90%, Dublin by 176%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.47 €16.43

$23.58 €20.97

-21.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 €79.1

$101 €89.6

-11.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.80

$13.50 €12.00

-10.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.39

$4.82 €4.29

-20.95%

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

$2.16 €1.92

$2.87 €2.56

-24.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.24 €1.99

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 €5.90

$7.80 €6.94

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$7.32 €6.51

-24.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.66 €1.48

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 €0.82

$2.42 €2.15

-61.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.98 €1.76

-33.33%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.09

$4.90 €4.36

-6.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 €12.38

$10.02 €8.91

38.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.90 €11.47

$12.79 €11.38

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 €14.98

$15.78 €14.04

6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.85 €2.53

-20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.17 €1.93

5.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.65 €2.36

-13.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$5.29 €4.71

-11.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.84 €1.64

-38.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.48 €1.32

22.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.31 €1.16

5.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.02 €1.80

8.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.47 €17.31

$20.78 €18.48

-6.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 €11.68

$13.63 €12.12

-3.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.20 €3.73

$3.44 €3.06

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.19 €1.95

-0.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 €99.8

$109 €97.1

2.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.53

$5.05 €4.50

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.55 €1.38

-8.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 €16.55

$37.01 €32.92

-49.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.78

$2.15 €1.91

-6.51%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$38.9K €34.6K

1.72%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$39.5K €35.1K

-18.23%

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

$239 €212

$281 €250

-15.09%

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

$21.44 €19.07

$17.94 €15.96

19.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 €48.47

$51.6 €45.89

5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.51 €43.15

$68.0 €60.5

-28.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.69 €21.96

$20.55 €18.28

20.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.78

$15.45 €13.74

-14.30%

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

$1,076 €957

$1,281 €1,140

-16.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,138 €4,570

$14.2K €12.6K

-63.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$107 €95.0

-10.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.44 €24.41

$51.2 €45.51

-46.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 €59.6

$112 €99.4

-40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$130 €115

-6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 €1,563

$2,503 €2,227

-29.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 €1,115

$2,245 €1,997

-44.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,204

$4,443 €3,952

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,011 €1,789

$3,431 €3,052

-41.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,594 €4,976

$9,378 €8,342

-40.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,024 €4,469

$5,995 €5,333

-16.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,445 €2,175

$3,914 €3,482

-37.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.82

8.38%

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

Last update for Dundalk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dundalk

$1.3K 49%

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2% 79.1% $992

Groceries & Markets

Dundalk

$355 13.9%

Dublin

$363 9.7% 2.4% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dundalk

$314 12.3%

Dublin

$350 9.4% 11.4% $36

Eating Out

Dundalk

$288 11.3%

Dublin

$361 9.7% 25.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Dundalk

$140 5.5%

Dublin

$180 4.8% 28.1% $39

Getting Around

Dundalk

$133 5.2%

Dublin

$131 3.5% 1.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dundalk

$75 2.9%

Dublin

$99 2.7% 31.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,758 in Dundalk versus $2,503 in Dublin. 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 60% 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 $89.0 in Dundalk versus $101 in Dublin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $363 – making Dundalk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dundalk

🇮🇪 Dublin

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

Same time as Dundalk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,112

588,233 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dundalk Dublin 73 km

From you

Dundalk
Dublin

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

Dundalk vs Dublin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Dundalk, $3,729 in Dublin – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Dundalk and $5,594 in Dublin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dundalk, 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 $89.0 in Dundalk and $101 in Dublin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,559 in Dundalk and $3,729 in Dublin. That's a gap of about 46%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,559 in Dundalk and $3,729 in Dublin. 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 $2,559 in Dundalk 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 Dundalk. 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.