Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Ireland

Name: Ireland
Address: IE

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
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Ireland Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,508

/mo nomad

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Ireland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

United Kingdom $2,508
Ireland $2,918

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

United Kingdom $3,619
Ireland $4,203

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

United Kingdom $4,730
Ireland $5,488

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 the United Kingdom costs about 14% less than in Ireland on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 £16.07

$21.09 €18.74

2.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 £63.9

$89.7 €79.7

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.80

$12.37 €10.99

-14.96%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.63

$4.55 €4.04

7.47%

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

$2.60 £1.92

$2.87 €2.55

-9.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.40

$2.13 €1.89

-11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 £5.06

$6.60 €5.86

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.86

$6.85 €6.08

-4.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.56 €1.39

9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.23

$2.25 €2.00

-26.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.66

$1.91 €1.70

16.75%

Eggs

$4.14 £3.07

$4.45 €3.96

-6.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 £7.37

$11.38 €10.11

-12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 £6.95

$11.66 €10.36

-19.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 £10.89

$14.69 €13.05

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.30

$3.09 €2.75

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.20

$2.24 €1.99

-27.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.11 €2.77

-6.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.52

$4.58 €4.07

-25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.31

$2.20 €1.95

-19.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.58 €1.40

3.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.88

$1.39 €1.23

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.21

$1.98 €1.76

-17.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.10 £17.87

$20.73 €18.41

16.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 £7.99

$13.47 €11.97

-19.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.30

$3.44 €3.06

-9.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 £2.54

$3.66 €3.25

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.95 £2.93

$2.31 €2.05

71.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £79.9

$96.4 €85.6

11.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 £3.89

$4.78 €4.25

9.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 £1.60

$1.51 €1.35

42.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 £19.61

$31.39 €27.88

-15.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.53

$2.10 €1.87

-1.90%

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

$39.6K £29.4K

$38.7K €34.4K

2.40%

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

$41.3K £30.6K

$38.6K €34.3K

6.91%

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

$324 £240

$252 €224

28.49%

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

$18.04 £13.38

$22.36 €19.86

-19.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.17 £32.02

$52.5 €46.64

-17.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.63 £30.88

$55.3 €49.10

-24.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.43 £13.67

$20.75 €18.43

-11.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.10 £10.46

$13.92 €12.36

1.29%

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

$1,846 £1,369

$1,094 €972

68.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K £19.9K

$11.3K €10.1K

136.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 £69.1

$100 €88.9

-6.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 £33.74

$45.55 €40.46

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$104 €92.4

-1.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £74.3

$115 €102

-12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 £1,020

$1,822 €1,618

-24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 £831

$1,544 €1,372

-27.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 £1,668

$2,851 €2,532

-21.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 £1,282

$2,427 €2,156

-28.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,631 £4,176

$5,044 €4,481

11.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,197 £3,113

$3,871 €3,439

8.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,540 £2,625

$3,457 €3,071

2.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.17

27.58%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ireland: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7%

Ireland

$1.5K 52.9% 37.8% $424

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$385 15.4%

Ireland

$327 11.2% 15.1% $58

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$329 13.1%

Ireland

$327 11.2% 0.5% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$311 12.4%

Ireland

$355 12.2% 14.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$153 6.1%

Ireland

$164 5.6% 6.8% $10

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.6%

Ireland

$118 4% 15.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.8%

Ireland

$83 2.9% 19% $13

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,387 in the United Kingdom, $3,212 in Ireland. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇮🇪 Ireland

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

5,149,139

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Ireland 460 km

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Ireland: 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.