For Those Living in Ireland - Living Expenses

For those of you who live in or around Dublin what would you say you spend on living expenses per month? Please include electricity, water, gas, phone, food, cable (for 1 person) and anything else you think is pertinent information. Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure how much we pay, but I'll talk to my husband when he gets home and report back to you. If you're moving over on your own I would highly suggest a flatshare situation. My friend shares a house with 3 other girls in a nice part of town and I know she pays significantly less than we do (we're in a one bedroom apartment).

If you're moving to Dublin because you have a job here that's one thing, but if you don't have a job and you're moving over 1.) I wouldn't suggest this right now as the market is terrible (even for retail/pub jobs), 2.) if you're going to come anyways, I'd suggest moving to a different part of the country where it's cheaper. Cork is much cheaper than Dublin.

Hi Bmore - Thanks for your reply. I am looking forward to hearing what your husband has to say. I've been to Cork and I really liked it and would much prefer living outside Dublin but was considering Dublin more since the pay is much better there. We have a client whose European base is in Dublin and I am hoping to get a job with them but that is a huge 'IF'. By the by, are you from Baltimore? Curious cause I am from there originally and Bmore is what we call it for short. I am an Irish citizen; will this help with locating a job?

Thanks again!

Kelly

In addition to Bmore's post, I wanted to add that some councils also have charges for refuse collection.  My in-laws live in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council and they pay by weight.

http://www.dlrcoco.ie/finance/INTRODUCTION07.htm

Here's a few links to give you a general idea on prices for phone/internet.

http://www.eircom.net/pageA/?extlink=Products

http://www.btireland.ie/mediacentre/

http://www.sky.com/ireland

http://www.upc.ie/

Once you know where you want to live/work, you'll also want to look at the public transportation costs.  I *think* the bus, DART and Luas all do weekly and/or monthly tickets.


I really hope you are able to get that job before you come over. It will likely save you a lot of stress and uncertainty. The unemployment rate is creeping towards 14%.  As Bmore said, it's pretty grim at the moment

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Economics/Unemployment-rate.aspx?symbol=IEP

For our one bedroom flat with storage heating (no radiators) we pay:

Rent: 800 euro a month to live in a tiny one bedroom, in a mediocre location, with no outside space (garden or balcony). We do have a parking spot which is a bonus, but we don't have a car.

Electricity: Approx. 300 euro every two months. It was closer to 400 in the winter and we're very skimpy with heat.

Phone: 50 euro a month - basic service with me calling the US maybe twice per week.
 
Cable/Internet: 50 euro a month for basic cable and broadband

Food: I'm not 100% certain how much we spend on food per month. In fairness, we probably spend more than we have to, but I don't work and I like to cook. Our refrigerator is so tiny and it stinks, so I probably go to the shop for something every day. DH thinks we spend about 80 euro a week. If we go out for dinner, we pay around 40 euro. A pint is, on average, 5 euro. I've never seen it cheaper than 4 and it's usually around 6.

Health insurance: DH has the super basic insurance and he pays 50 euro a month. Mine is a little better than his (ie it has maternity benefits if I get pregnant) and I pay around 70 euro a month. Two of the big providers are www.vhi.ie and www.aviva.ie. There is no NHS in Ireland. There is a public health service, but that's means tested. Just as an example, a consultation at my GP is 55 euro without insurance. I think with my provider it's closer to 30 euro (sorry, I haven't had to go yet!).

We do pay as you go for our mobiles.

We don't have a car, so I can't comment on the cost of insurance and petrol. Used cars here are not nearly as cheap as they are in the UK.

There are various public transportation passes for frequent riders. I tend to walk most places since we live in the city centre, but you can have a look at www.dublinbus.ie, www.luas.ie, and www.irishrail.ie (DART services) for information about commuter options.

My gym membership (valid from 9am-5pm only) was 75 euro a month.

Irish citizenship won't really be a benefit to finding a job. It's really more about who you know in this country. If you can get a transfer with your company, I would highly recommend going that route!

That's all I can think of off hand. Let me know if you have any questions! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Oh, and yes, I am from Baltimore!