Cost of Living · ZA vs IE
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇮🇪 Dublin: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $2,276 in Ireland — 173.24% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Ireland
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 38.81%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 38.91%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 38.92%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +215.83%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +215.83%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +215.83%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Ireland | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,641 (1,516 EUR) | +215.83% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $1,313 (1,213 EUR) | +215.83% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $3,000 (2,772 EUR) | +215.83% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $17.11 (16 EUR) | +146.9% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $71.30 (66 EUR) | +146.88% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $10.51 (10 EUR) | +127.49% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $1.06 (1 EUR) | +92.73% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $3.08 (3 EUR) | +92.5% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $3.28 (3 EUR) | +92.94% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $9.64 (9 EUR) | +92.8% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $3.86 (4 EUR) | +93% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $4.63 (4 EUR) | +92.92% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $11.57 (11 EUR) | +93.16% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.93 (2 EUR) | +93% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $5.70 (5 EUR) | +146.75% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $7.85 (7 EUR) | +38.94% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $4.75 (4 EUR) | +146.11% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $2.22 (2 EUR) | +93.04% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $62.08 (57 EUR) | +127.4% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $2.63 (2 EUR) | +126.72% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $3.80 (4 EUR) | +146.75% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.71 (2 EUR) | +147.83% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.93 (1 EUR) | +38.81% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $191 (176 EUR) | +127.38% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $66.85 (62 EUR) | +127.38% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $42.98 (40 EUR) | +127.41% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $47.53 (44 EUR) | +146.78% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $13.31 (12 EUR) | +146.94% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $28.52 (26 EUR) | +146.93% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $54.00 (50 EUR) | +38.92% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $88.36 (82 EUR) | +38.91% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $238 (220 EUR) | +146.83% |
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 South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,276 in Ireland versus $833 in South Africa — 173.24% 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 $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Ireland compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,641/month in Ireland versus $520/month in South Africa (+215.83%). 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.