Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Dublin

For one person, living is cheaper in Swords: $2,598 a month against $3,629 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
175

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,598 per month in Swords vs $3,629 in Dublin, rent included.

Swords $2,598
Dublin $3,629

A couple spends around $3,804 per month in Swords vs $5,130 in Dublin, rent included.

Swords $3,804
Dublin $5,130

A family of three spends $5,010 per month in Swords vs $6,631 in Dublin, rent included.

Swords $5,010
Dublin $6,631

Swords is about 28% cheaper than Dublin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Swords and Dublin sit above the global median – Swords by 91%, Dublin by 167%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.91

$23.23 €20.87

-4.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.6

$102 €91.6

-3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.86

$13.28 €11.93

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.43

$4.91 €4.41

0.41%

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

$2.98 €2.68

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.18 €1.95

-0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$7.92 €7.12

1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.05

$7.76 €6.98

-13.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.63 €1.46

-3.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.42 €2.18

-2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$2.06 €1.85

-1.46%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$4.92 €4.42

-13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.89

$9.86 €8.86

0.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.76

$12.50 €11.24

-13.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.94

$16.23 €14.59

-18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.81 €2.52

-2.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.22 €1.99

2.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$2.81 €2.53

-0.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$5.15 €4.63

-19.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.86 €1.68

0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.33

$1.46 €1.31

0.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 €1.18

-1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.11 €1.89

-9.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.44

$20.86 €18.74

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.03

$13.24 €11.90

1.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.01

$3.43 €3.08

-2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$3.51 €3.15

-1.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.29 €2.06

-1.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €95.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.49

$5.27 €4.73

-5.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.49 €1.34

-1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.55

$38.05 €34.19

-1.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.10 €1.89

2.86%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$38.4K €34.5K

0.38%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$37.8K €33.9K

0.63%

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

$246 €221

$269 €241

-8.30%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$18.56 €16.67

0.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.97

$53.1 €47.73

-3.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.46

$63.8 €57.3

-36.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.81 €18.70

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.07

$15.64 €14.05

-14.13%

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

$1,010 €907

$1,269 €1,140

-20.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,656

$14.4K €13.0K

-64.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.0

$105 €94.7

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.18

$51.1 €45.88

-5.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$114 €102

-5.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$131 €118

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,398

$2,475 €2,223

-37.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,206

$2,162 €1,942

-37.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,322

$4,319 €3,881

-40.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,945

$3,331 €2,993

-35.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,242

$8,467 €7,608

-44.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,097

$5,920 €5,319

-41.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,706 €3,330

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.81

-3.41%

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

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dublin: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Dublin

$2.2K 59.6% 61.1% $820

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Dublin

$360 9.9% 2.9% $10

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Dublin

$363 10% 8.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Dublin

$340 9.4% 7.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Dublin

$181 5% 8.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Dublin

$95 2.6% 40.9% $28

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Dublin

$128 3.5% 499% $107

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,556 in Swords versus $2,475 in Dublin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Swords versus $102 in Dublin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $363 – making Swords the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇮🇪 Dublin

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

Same time as Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

588,233 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Swords Dublin 13 km

From you

Swords
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

Swords vs Dublin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,598 in Swords, $3,629 in Dublin – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,897 per month in Swords and $5,444 in Dublin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swords, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,556 there versus $2,475 in Dublin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,598 in Swords and $3,629 in Dublin. That’s a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $1,010 per month in Swords and $1,269 in Dublin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Swords, where all-in costs run around $2,598, than in Dublin at $3,629. In Swords it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Swords – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.