Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ireland and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $2,965 in Ireland, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
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Ireland Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,965

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ireland and in Spain

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,965 in Ireland versus $1,775 in Spain.

Ireland $2,965
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,237 in Ireland versus $2,606 in Spain.

Ireland $4,237
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,509 in Ireland versus $3,438 in Spain.

Ireland $5,509
Spain $3,438

Ireland ($1,795–$3,629) and Spain ($931–$2,610) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Ireland is roughly 67% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Ireland 118% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.19

$16.69 €14.97

34.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 €78.8

$55.7 €49.96

57.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.40

$11.37 €10.19

11.79%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.90

$2.42 €2.17

79.75%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.68 €2.40

5.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.79 €1.61

18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.14

$3.42 €3.07

100.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.15

$3.88 €3.48

76.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.20 €1.08

28.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.06

$1.48 €1.33

54.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.67 €1.50

15.57%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.88

$3.42 €3.07

26.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €10.04

$14.17 €12.71

-20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 €10.54

$8.33 €7.47

41.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.33 €12.85

$16.20 €14.53

-11.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.45 €2.20

22.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.03 €1.82

12.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$2.08 €1.86

55.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 €3.96

$2.58 €2.31

70.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.83 €1.64

12.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.00 €1.80

-22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.31 €1.17

3.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.77 €0.69

155.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.07 €18.01

$6.36 €5.71

215.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 €12.11

$5.64 €5.06

139.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.20

$1.30 €1.17

174.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 €3.28

$2.09 €1.87

75.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.64 €1.47

37.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 €88.0

$32.91 €29.52

198.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 €4.95

$4.43 €3.97

24.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.47 €1.32

8.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.31 €29.87

$24.98 €22.41

33.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.77 €1.59

14.69%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$35.5K €31.9K

8.01%

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

$39.0K €35.0K

$30.6K €27.5K

27.37%

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

$247 €221

$149 €134

65.24%

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

$21.94 €19.68

$17.67 €15.85

24.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 €46.88

$31.88 €28.60

63.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 €48.72

$44.24 €39.68

22.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.36 €18.26

$15.29 €13.72

33.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 €12.30

$9.66 €8.67

41.93%

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

$1,112 €997

$544 €488

104.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.6K

$10.6K €9,514

11.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.1 €87.1

$84.9 €76.2

14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.42 €40.74

$37.11 €33.29

22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.4

$89.2 €80.0

19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$106 €94.9

12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,806 €1,620

$1,056 €948

70.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 €1,421

$808 €725

96.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 €2,559

$1,621 €1,454

76.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,441 €2,189

$1,246 €1,118

95.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,044 €4,524

$4,135 €3,709

21.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,845 €3,449

$2,633 €2,361

46.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,406 €3,055

$1,999 €1,793

70.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

3.3

26.06%

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

Last update for Ireland: October 25, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ireland

$1.6K 53.5%

Spain

$808 45.5% 49% $777

Groceries & Markets

Ireland

$353 11.9%

Spain

$272 15.3% 23% $81

Eating Out

Ireland

$338 11.4%

Spain

$239 13.5% 29.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ireland

$321 10.8%

Spain

$199 11.2% 38% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Ireland

$166 5.6%

Spain

$143 8% 13.9% $23

Getting Around

Ireland

$121 4.1%

Spain

$51 2.9% 57.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Ireland

$82 2.8%

Spain

$64 3.6% 22.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,559 in Ireland, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $2,475 in Dublin vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $3,201 in Ireland, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 69% higher in Ireland.

Dining out costs 51% more in Ireland.

Public transport is 281% more expensive in Ireland.

Salaries are 62% higher in Ireland.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Ireland

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h ahead of Ireland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,149,139

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ireland Spain 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ireland
Spain

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

Ireland vs Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,965 per month in Ireland and $1,775 in Spain, there’s a 67% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Spain: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,559 in Ireland and $920 in Spain. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Spain, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Ireland it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Spain wins on affordability; Ireland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.