Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Dublin's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Dublin?
Your $100,000 in Dublin has the same purchasing power as $105,988 in the average US city. You'd need $5,988 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Dublin's cost index of 94, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Dublin? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: your dollar carries more weight here and a high-income city, even by us standards, plus 5 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Dublin sits at 94 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 6% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $1,541/mo against a typical household income of $158,363, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Median household income in Dublin is $158,363 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
The unemployment rate in Dublin sits at roughly 2.9%, which is a tight labor market by US standards. Salaries get nudged up faster, openings are easier to find, and switching jobs is less of a leap than it is in a softer market.
Dublin reports roughly 1,219 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Dublin's air quality index averages about 44 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Dublin is about 24 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
75% of adults 25 and over in Dublin hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Dublin's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Yes — and a lot of it. With winter averages near 25°F, Dublin sees real accumulation most years. Salt for the steps, tires that handle ice, and a sense of humor about February are the usual costs of admission.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Dublin averages roughly 25°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Dublin runs about 84°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Dublin falls in roughly USDA Zone 7. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Dublin is at about 915 feet (279 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
By the numbers, yes. Dublin reports roughly 1,219 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. Dublin's cost-of-living index is 94, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Mostly car-dependent. Dublin's Walk Score of 29/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $66,045 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Dublin runs about $1,541/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.