Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Dublin

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotterdam: $3,032 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index
180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam 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 Rotterdam and in Dublin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,032 per month in Rotterdam vs $3,729 in Dublin, rent included.

Rotterdam $3,032
Dublin $3,729

A couple spends around $4,227 per month in Rotterdam vs $5,239 in Dublin, rent included.

Rotterdam $4,227
Dublin $5,239

A family of three spends $5,422 per month in Rotterdam vs $6,748 in Dublin, rent included.

Rotterdam $5,422
Dublin $6,748

Rotterdam is about 19% cheaper than Dublin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rotterdam and Dublin sit above the global median – Rotterdam by 125%, Dublin by 176%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 €18.52

$23.58 €20.97

-11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.1

$101 €89.6

-16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$13.50 €12.00

-0.07%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$4.82 €4.29

-8.30%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$2.87 €2.56

32.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.24 €1.99

54.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 €6.29

$7.80 €6.94

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$7.32 €6.51

-17.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.66 €1.48

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.42 €2.15

-2.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.98 €1.76

44.44%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.78

$4.90 €4.36

9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$10.02 €8.91

17.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$12.79 €11.38

6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 €16.69

$15.78 €14.04

18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.85 €2.53

16.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.17 €1.93

19.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.65 €2.36

-4.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$5.29 €4.71

-36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.84 €1.64

-7.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.48 €1.32

2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.31 €1.16

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.02 €1.80

-37.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$20.78 €18.48

-31.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$13.63 €12.12

-51.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.44 €3.06

-56.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$3.46 €3.08

-24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.19 €1.95

100.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

-0.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$5.05 €4.50

-10.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.55 €1.38

117.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.8 €58.6

$37.01 €32.92

77.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 €2.34

$2.15 €1.91

22.79%

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

$40.9K €36.3K

$38.9K €34.6K

5.04%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.5K €35.1K

-1.79%

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

$300 €267

$281 €250

6.74%

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

$21.55 €19.17

$17.94 €15.96

20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.74

$51.6 €45.89

4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 €43.11

$68.0 €60.5

-28.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

$20.55 €18.28

39.03%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.88

$15.45 €13.74

0.97%

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

$2,658 €2,364

$1,281 €1,140

107.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$14.2K €12.6K

-9.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$107 €95.0

-13.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 €34.25

$51.2 €45.51

-24.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$112 €99.4

-2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$130 €115

8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,748

$2,503 €2,227

-21.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,402

$2,245 €1,997

-29.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,071 €2,732

$4,443 €3,952

-30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €1,991

$3,431 €3,052

-34.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

$9,378 €8,342

-37.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

$5,995 €5,333

-33.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 €3,653

$3,914 €3,482

4.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.82

-8.64%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52%

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2% 42.4% $668

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$375 12.4%

Dublin

$350 9.4% 6.6% $25

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.4%

Dublin

$363 9.7% 5.3% $18

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$336 11.1%

Dublin

$361 9.7% 7.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$171 5.7%

Dublin

$180 4.8% 5% $8.6

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$148 4.9%

Dublin

$131 3.5% 11.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$80 2.6%

Dublin

$99 2.7% 24.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,966 in Rotterdam 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 5% higher in Rotterdam, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Rotterdam versus $101 in Dublin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $363 – making Rotterdam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇮🇪 Dublin

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

1 h behind Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

588,233 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rotterdam Dublin 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rotterdam
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

Rotterdam vs Dublin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,032 in Rotterdam, $3,729 in Dublin – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,548 per month in Rotterdam 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 Rotterdam, 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 $84.0 in Rotterdam 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 $3,032 in Rotterdam and $3,729 in Dublin. That's a gap of about 23%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,032 in Rotterdam and $3,729 in Dublin. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Rotterdam has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,032 in Rotterdam 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 Rotterdam. 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.