Cost of Living · CN vs IE
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇮🇪 Dublin: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $2,276 in Ireland — 125.07% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Ireland
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 29.17%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 30.18%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 30.28%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +152.36%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +152.36%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +152.36%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Ireland | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,641 (1,516 EUR) | +152.36% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $1,313 (1,213 EUR) | +152.36% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $3,000 (2,772 EUR) | +152.36% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $17.11 (16 EUR) | +106.89% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $71.30 (66 EUR) | +106.97% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $10.51 (10 EUR) | +93.91% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $1.06 (1 EUR) | +70.97% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $3.08 (3 EUR) | +69.23% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $3.28 (3 EUR) | +69.95% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $9.64 (9 EUR) | +69.72% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $3.86 (4 EUR) | +70.04% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $4.63 (4 EUR) | +69.6% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $11.57 (11 EUR) | +69.9% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.93 (2 EUR) | +69.3% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $5.70 (5 EUR) | +106.52% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $7.85 (7 EUR) | +30.18% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $4.75 (4 EUR) | +106.52% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $2.22 (2 EUR) | +69.47% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $62.08 (57 EUR) | +93.7% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $2.63 (2 EUR) | +93.38% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $3.80 (4 EUR) | +106.52% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.71 (2 EUR) | +106.02% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.93 (1 EUR) | +29.17% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $191 (176 EUR) | +93.71% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $66.85 (62 EUR) | +93.71% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $42.98 (40 EUR) | +93.69% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $47.53 (44 EUR) | +106.92% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $13.31 (12 EUR) | +107% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $28.52 (26 EUR) | +106.97% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $54.00 (50 EUR) | +30.28% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $88.36 (82 EUR) | +30.29% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $238 (220 EUR) | +106.96% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Ireland than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,276 in Ireland versus $1,011 in China — 125.07% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Ireland?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.70 in Ireland (≈ 5.27 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Ireland compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,641/month in Ireland versus $650/month in China (+152.36%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.