Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ireland and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,508 a month against $2,918 in Ireland, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
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Ireland Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,918

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ireland and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,918 in Ireland versus $2,508 in the United Kingdom.

Ireland $2,918
United Kingdom $2,508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,203 in Ireland versus $3,619 in the United Kingdom.

Ireland $4,203
United Kingdom $3,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,488 in Ireland versus $4,730 in the United Kingdom.

Ireland $5,488
United Kingdom $4,730

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,139 to $4,519, compared to $1,786–$3,690 in Ireland. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Ireland is roughly 16% more expensive than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Ireland 116% above, the United Kingdom 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 €18.82

$21.67 £16.13

-2.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 €80.0

$86.1 £64.1

4.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.37 €11.04

$10.52 £7.83

17.59%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.05

$4.89 £3.64

-6.95%

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

$2.87 €2.56

$2.60 £1.93

10.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.88 £1.40

13.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.89

$6.82 £5.08

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 €6.11

$6.55 £4.87

4.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.71 £1.27

-8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.66 £1.24

35.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.23 £1.66

-14.35%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$4.14 £3.08

7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.15

$9.94 £7.40

14.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.66 €10.40

$9.37 £6.98

24.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 €13.11

$14.69 £10.93

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$3.10 £2.31

-0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.62 £1.21

38.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$2.90 £2.16

7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 €4.09

$3.39 £2.53

35.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.77 £1.32

24.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.63 £1.21

-3.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.19 £0.88

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.64 £1.22

20.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.73 €18.49

$24.10 £17.94

-13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 €12.02

$10.78 £8.02

24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.11 £2.31

10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 €3.27

$3.43 £2.55

6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 €2.06

$3.95 £2.94

-41.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 €86.0

$108 £80.2

-10.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 €4.27

$5.25 £3.91

-8.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.15 £1.60

-29.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 €28.00

$26.45 £19.69

18.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.06 £1.53

1.94%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$39.6K £29.5K

-2.35%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$41.3K £30.8K

-6.46%

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

$252 €225

$324 £241

-22.17%

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

$22.36 €19.95

$18.04 £13.43

23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 €46.83

$43.17 £32.14

21.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.30

$41.63 £30.99

32.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.75 €18.51

$18.43 £13.72

12.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 €12.41

$14.10 £10.50

-1.28%

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

$1,094 €976

$1,846 £1,374

-40.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$26.8K £19.9K

-57.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.2

$93.2 £69.4

7.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.55 €40.63

$45.49 £33.86

0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$102 £76.1

1.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €102

$100 £74.6

14.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 €1,625

$1,376 £1,024

32.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$1,120 £834

37.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,543

$2,249 £1,674

26.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 €2,165

$1,729 £1,287

40.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,044 €4,499

$5,631 £4,192

-10.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,871 €3,453

$4,197 £3,124

-7.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,457 €3,083

$3,540 £2,635

-2.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.32

-21.62%

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

Last update for Ireland: November 1, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ireland

$1.5K 52.9%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 27.5% $424

Groceries & Markets

Ireland

$355 12.2%

United Kingdom

$311 12.4% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Ireland

$327 11.2%

United Kingdom

$329 13.1% 0.5% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ireland

$327 11.2%

United Kingdom

$385 15.4% 17.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ireland

$164 5.6%

United Kingdom

$153 6.1% 6.4% $10

Getting Around

Ireland

$118 4%

United Kingdom

$140 5.6% 18.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ireland

$83 2.9%

United Kingdom

$70 2.8% 16% $13

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,578 in Ireland, $1,311 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $2,463 in Dublin vs $2,935 in London.

National salary averages: $3,212 in Ireland, $3,387 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in Ireland.

Public transport is 16% more expensive in Ireland.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Ireland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

Same time as Ireland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,149,139

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ireland United Kingdom 460 km

From you

Ireland
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,918 per month in Ireland and $2,508 in the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom comes out about 14% cheaper. 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 the United Kingdom: 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 $1,578 in Ireland and $1,311 in the United Kingdom. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: the United Kingdom wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.