# Cost of living in Ireland: 8 guides for new arrivals | Moving to Ireland > What Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick really cost in 2026: rent by county, groceries, childcare, and how Ireland compares with the UK and Europe. 8 step-by-step guides from the Moving to Ireland app. Source: https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/ 🛒 # Cost of living in Ireland What Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick really cost in 2026: rent by county, groceries, childcare, and how Ireland compares with the UK and Europe. 8 guides · about 30 minutes in total The guides below are in the order the app walks you through them — each one unblocks the next. The opening of every guide is free to read here; the full text is in the app. 1. 1 ### [Cost of living in Ireland in 2026](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-ireland/) Ireland is one of the more expensive countries in Europe to live in, and rent is the reason. Almost everything else, from groceries to public transport… 4 min read 2. 2 ### [Cost of living in Dublin](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-dublin/) Dublin is where most people moving to Ireland land first, and it is comfortably the most expensive place in the country to live. The premium is almost… 4 min read 3. 3 ### [Cost of living in Cork](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-cork/) Cork is Ireland's second city and the obvious alternative to Dublin if you work in pharma, medtech or tech. Apple, Pfizer, Stryker and dozens of others… 3 min read 4. 4 ### [Cost of living in Galway](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-galway/) Galway is the smallest of Ireland's main cities and, for many people, the most likeable: a compact medieval centre, the sea at Salthill, a big student… 4 min read 5. 5 ### [Cost of living in Limerick](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-limerick/) Limerick is the city that relocation guides used to skip, and that is exactly why it deserves a look. It has a university (UL), a growing tech and… 4 min read 6. 6 ### [Average rent in Ireland by county](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/average-rent-in-ireland-by-county/) Where you live in Ireland matters more to your budget than almost any other decision. A new tenancy in Dublin costs more than double one in Leitrim, and… 3 min read 7. 7 ### [Moving to Ireland vs the UK: cost, tax, healthcare and rent compared](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/moving-to-ireland-vs-uk/) Ireland and the UK share a language, a Common Travel Area that lets citizens of each live and work freely in the other, and a lot of the same shops. What… 4 min read 8. 8 ### [Ireland vs the Netherlands and Germany for expats](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/moving-to-ireland-vs-netherlands-and-germany/) Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany compete for the same people: English-speaking tech, pharma, finance and engineering professionals who can pick where… 4 min read ## Other sections - [🧳 Pre-move 8](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/pre-move/) - [✅ Checklists 4](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/checklists/) - [🛂 Visas and permits 7](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/visas-and-permits/) - [🌍 Moving from 154](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/) - [🐾 Pets 5](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/pets/) - [🪪 Paperwork 7](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/paperwork/) - [💼 Work and tax 6](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/work-and-tax/) - [🏠 Accommodation 12](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/accommodation/) - [📍 Where to live 6](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/) - [💡 Utilities 6](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/utilities/) - [🚌 Transportation 9](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/transportation/) - [🩺 Healthcare 6](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/healthcare/) - [🎓 Schooling 6](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/schooling/) Beyond the guides ## Plan the whole move from your phone Moving to Ireland turns 99 guides into a personal checklist. Tell it your passport, whether you have moved yet, and who is coming with you, and it lays out every step in order — from the visa to the bins. - Step-by-step checklist - Tailored to your passport - Pre-move & post-move - Family & pet sections [![Download Moving to Ireland on the App Store](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-store-badge.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) ★★★★★ 4.9 on the App Store [![Expats who settled in Ireland, two five-star App Store reviews, and the Moving to Ireland app showing its relocation checklist](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-social-proof.webp)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261)