Cost of Living · CN vs IE
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇮🇪 Dublin: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $981 in China vs $2,473 in Ireland — 152% more expensive.
- Essentials, China
- $981/mo
- Essentials, Ireland
- $2,473/mo
- Difference
- +152%
- 1-bed city rent, Ireland
- $1,802/mo
Biggest differences
Smallest premium in Ireland
- Running shoes (brand): +35%
- Jeans (mid-range brand): +35%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: +35%
Pricier in Ireland
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +187%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +187%
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +187%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Ireland | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $628 | $1,802 (1,594 EUR) | +187% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $502 | $1,441 (1,276 EUR) | +187% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,149 | $3,294 (2,916 EUR) | +187% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.05 | $18.42 (16 EUR) | +129% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $33.53 | $76.73 (68 EUR) | +129% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $5.29 | $11.23 (10 EUR) | +112% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $0.61 | $1.12 (1 EUR) | +84% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.78 | $3.25 (3 EUR) | +83% |
| Eggs, dozen | $1.89 | $3.46 (3 EUR) | +83% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.57 | $10.17 (9 EUR) | +83% |
| White rice, 1kg | $2.23 | $4.07 (4 EUR) | +83% |
| Apples, 1kg | $2.67 | $4.88 (4 EUR) | +83% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $6.68 | $12.20 (11 EUR) | +83% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.11 | $2.03 (2 EUR) | +83% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.68 | $6.14 (5 EUR) | +129% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.97 | $8.07 (7 EUR) | +35% |
| Cappuccino | $2.24 | $5.12 (5 EUR) | +129% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.28 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +83% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $31.27 | $66.36 (59 EUR) | +112% |
| Public transport, one-way | $1.32 | $2.81 (2 EUR) | +113% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.79 | $4.09 (4 EUR) | +128% |
| Taxi, per km | $0.80 | $1.84 (2 EUR) | +130% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.71 | $0.96 (1 EUR) | +35% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $96.20 | $204 (181 EUR) | +112% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $33.67 | $71.47 (63 EUR) | +112% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $21.65 | $45.94 (41 EUR) | +112% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $22.35 | $51.16 (45 EUR) | +129% |
| Cinema seat | $6.26 | $14.32 (13 EUR) | +129% |
| Men's haircut | $13.41 | $30.69 (27 EUR) | +129% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.04 | $55.46 (49 EUR) | +35% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $67.16 | $90.75 (80 EUR) | +35% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $112 | $256 (226 EUR) | +129% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 7,919 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇨🇳 China | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $767 | $5,642 |
| Rent, modelled 1-bed Monthly, USD. | — | $1,355 |
| Rent as % of a local wage Are locals priced out? | — | 24% |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $246 | $784 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 3.1 | 3.9 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Shanghai and Dublin. | 77 | 42 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | middling | very strong |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 2.9 (low) | 2.3 (low) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 6 | 10 |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 32.1 | 6.8 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 78 | 83 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 91.6% | 97.2% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 31.4 | 215.9 |
Related
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Ireland than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,473 in Ireland versus $981 in China — 152% 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 $6.14 in Ireland (≈ 5.43 EUR), versus about $2.68 in China.
- How much is rent in Ireland compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,802/month in Ireland versus $628/month in China (+187%). 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.