# Cost of living in Ireland in 2026 | Cost of living | Moving to 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… Source: https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-in-ireland/ Cost of living · Step 1 of 8 # Cost of living in Ireland in 2026 4 min read · Updated 13 September 2026 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, sits close to the western European average. If you are about to relocate, the useful question is not "is Ireland expensive?" but "what will my month actually cost?". This guide pulls the latest official figures together so you can build a realistic budget before you sign a lease or accept a salary. ## Rent: the number that decides everything The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Rent Index for Q1 2026 puts the national standardised average rent for a new tenancy at **€1,839 a month**, up 9.1% in a year. Existing tenants pay far less, on average **€1,513**, because annual rent increases are capped nationwide (at 2% or inflation, whichever is lower, since March 2026). As a newcomer you will be paying the new-tenancy price. In Dublin the same index shows **€2,335** for a new tenancy, against €1,806 in the commuter counties of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow and €1,432 everywhere else. Daft.ie's Q2 2026 report, which tracks advertised (asking) rents, puts a two-bedroom apartment at **€2,204 nationally** and **€2,634 in Dublin**. A double room in a shared house averaged €806 nationwide in Q1 2026. Supply is the real problem: Daft counted just under 2,400 homes to rent across the whole country in early August 2026, compared with more than 4,300 before the pandemic. Budget for a deposit of one month's rent plus the first month up front. ## Groceries, energy and broadband The CSO's Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% in the year to August 2026, but staple food prices were actually falling by late summer (butter, cheddar and milk were all cheaper than a year earlier). The most recent CSO Household Budget Survey (2022 to 2023) recorded average household food spending of **€161 a week**. Comparison sites put a single person's weekly shop at roughly €60 to €80, so allow **€260 to €350 a month** if you cook at home and shop at Lidl, Aldi, Dunnes or Tesco. Energy is where Ireland stings. The average annual electricity bill was around **€1,805** in July 2026 and the average gas bill about **€1,429** (Selectra, based on typical usage), so a house with both pays roughly €270 a month. Standard unit rates are 35 to 38 cent per kWh, among the highest in the EU, and switching supplier every year can save several hundred euro. Home broadband runs from about €25 to €60 a month and a SIM-only mobile plan from €10 to €15. ## Transport Public transport is cheap by European standards. In Dublin the TFI 90-minute Leap fare is **€2** across bus, Luas and DART, with a daily cap of €6. A monthly Dublin Bus and Luas TaxSaver ticket is **€96**, or under €60 a month if you commit to an annual ticket through your employer (which is also paid before tax). Cork introduced the same 90-minute fare in July 2026 at €1.70, and Bus Éireann city singles in Galway and Limerick are €1.50 with a Leap card. Owning a car is expensive: motor tax, insurance, and fuel add up quickly, and insurance quotes for new arrivals without an Irish claims history are high. ## Childcare and healthcare Childcare is the second biggest cost for families. From September 2026 the government capped fees for Core Funding creches: for 45 hours a week the maximum charge is €280, and after the universal National Childcare Scheme subsidy of €96.30 you pay at most **€183.70 a week**, roughly €796 a month. Income-assessed subsidies bring this down further for many families. Children aged 3 to 5 get two free ECCE preschool years (3 hours a day, 38 weeks). Healthcare is a mix of public and private. A GP visit costs **€50 to €70** unless you hold a medical card or GP visit card (all children under 8 and everyone over 70 qualify for free GP care). Public hospital inpatient charges were abolished in 2023, but attending an emergency department without a GP referral costs €100. The Drugs Payment Scheme caps your family's prescription spend at **€80 a month** and is open to anyone ordinarily resident. Private health insurance is optional but common; the Health Insurance Authority put the average adult premium at **€1,902 a year** in March 2026. ## Wages and tax to set against it The national minimum wage rose to **€14.15 an hour** on 1 January 2026. The CSO puts average weekly earnings at **€1,046.88** in Q2 2026 (preliminary), about €54,400 a year. A single person pays 20% income tax on the first €44,000 and 40% above that, plus USC and 4.2% PRSI, but the €2,000 personal and €2,000 employee tax credits mean roughly the first €20,000 is income-tax free. Renters can also claim a **€1,000 rent tax credit**. ## Two sample monthly budgets (Dublin, 2026)
ItemSingle person, 1-bed apartmentFamily of four, 3-bed house, one child in creche
Rent (Daft Q1 2026 Dublin averages)€2,012€3,162
Electricity and gas€150 (electricity only)€270
Broadband and mobile€55€80
Groceries€300€700
Public transport€96€192
Childcare€0€796
GP visits and prescriptions (allowance)€40€100
Total before eating out and leisureabout €2,650about €5,300
Outside Dublin, knock €400 to €900 off the rent line: in Q1 2026 the RTB average for a new tenancy was €1,678 in Cork, €1,718 in Galway and €1,744 in Limerick. Everything else costs roughly the same wherever you live. ## ★ Useful links - [RTB Rent Index (official rent data)](https://www.rtb.ie/data-insights/rtb-research-reports/rtb-esri-rent-index/) - [Daft.ie Rental and House Price Reports](https://www.daft.ie/report) - [CSO Consumer Price Index](https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/prices/consumerpriceindex/) - [Citizens Information: National Childcare Scheme](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/pre-school-education-and-childcare/universal-childcare-subsidy/) - [Revenue: tax rates and bands](https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/tax-rates-bands-and-reliefs/tax-rates-and-the-standard-rate-cut-off-point/index.aspx) ![](https://www.movingtoireland.co/apple-touch-icon.png) You have read 28% of this guide ## Keep reading in the Moving to Ireland app The rest of **Cost of living in Ireland in 2026** — about 3 minutes more — is in the app, free to download, alongside 98 other guides and a checklist built around your own move. Still to come in this guide - Groceries, energy and broadband - Transport - Childcare and healthcare - Wages and tax to set against it [Download free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) iPhone and iPad · no account needed ## More on cost of living [All 8 guides in this section](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/cost-of-living/) - ### [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 - ### [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 - ### [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 - ### [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 Keep going ## Get the full cost-of-living roadmap in the app 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)