Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Ireland

Name: Ireland
Address: IE

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.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
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Ireland Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Ireland

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

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

Spain $1,775
Ireland $2,965

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

Spain $2,606
Ireland $4,237

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

Spain $3,438
Ireland $5,509

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

Living in Spain costs about 40% less than in Ireland on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €15.00

$22.51 €20.22

-25.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €50.0

$87.9 €79.0

-36.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.21

$12.71 €11.42

-10.54%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$4.35 €3.91

-44.37%

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

$2.68 €2.41

$2.83 €2.55

-5.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.61

$2.13 €1.92

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.08

$6.85 €6.15

-50.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.48

$6.86 €6.16

-43.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.54 €1.38

-22.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.29 €2.06

-35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.93 €1.74

-13.47%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$4.33 €3.89

-21.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.73

$11.20 €10.06

26.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.48

$11.75 €10.56

-29.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.56

$14.33 €12.87

13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.99 €2.69

-18.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$2.29 €2.05

-11.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$3.23 €2.90

-35.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$4.41 €3.96

-41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.05 €1.84

-10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.56 €1.40

28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.36 €1.22

-3.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.97 €1.77

-60.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.72

$20.07 €18.04

-68.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.07

$13.50 €12.13

-58.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$3.57 €3.20

-63.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.66 €3.29

-42.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.48

$2.26 €2.03

-27.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.57

$98.1 €88.1

-66.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.98

$5.52 €4.96

-19.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.60 €1.44

-8.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.45

$33.31 €29.92

-25.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.03 €1.82

-12.81%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$38.4K €34.5K

-7.42%

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

$30.6K €27.5K

$39.0K €35.0K

-21.49%

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

$149 €134

$247 €222

-39.48%

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

$17.67 €15.88

$21.94 €19.71

-19.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.64

$52.3 €46.96

-39.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.75

$54.3 €48.80

-18.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.74

$20.36 €18.29

-24.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.68

$13.71 €12.32

-29.54%

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

$544 €489

$1,112 €999

-51.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,530

$11.8K €10.6K

-10.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.3

$97.1 €87.2

-12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.35

$45.42 €40.81

-18.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €80.1

$106 €95.6

-16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €95.0

$119 €107

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €949

$1,806 €1,623

-41.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €726

$1,585 €1,424

-49.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,456

$2,853 €2,564

-43.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,120

$2,441 €2,193

-48.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,716

$5,044 €4,532

-18.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,365

$3,845 €3,455

-31.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,796

$3,406 €3,060

-41.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.16

-20.67%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ireland: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

Ireland

$1.6K 53.5% 96.2% $777

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Ireland

$353 11.9% 29.9% $81

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Ireland

$338 11.4% 41.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Ireland

$321 10.8% 61.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Ireland

$166 5.6% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Ireland

$82 2.8% 28.6% $18

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Ireland

$121 4.1% 135% $69

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $3,201 in Ireland. 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

🇪🇸 Spain

🇮🇪 Ireland

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

1 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

5,149,139

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Spain
Ireland

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

Spain vs Ireland: 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.