It depends entirely on which Ireland. In the Republic, the national standardised rent for a new tenancy was €1,755 a month in Q4 2025, rising to €2,232 in Dublin. In Northern Ireland, average rent was £875 a month in May 2026.
Those two figures are in different currencies, measured differently, and about two quarters apart. The gap is still enormous, and it is the single most useful thing to know about living on this island: the Republic is expensive by European standards and Northern Ireland is cheap by UK standards.
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Republic of Ireland: rent
The Residential Tenancies Board publishes the official figures, and it splits them in a way that matters more than the headline.
RTB Rent Index, Q4 2025:
| Measure | Monthly rent | Annual change |
| National, new tenancies | €1,755 | +5.0% |
| National, existing tenancies | €1,503 | +4.4% |
| Dublin, new tenancies | €2,232 | +3.4% |
| Dublin, existing tenancies | €1,939 | +4.2% |
If you are moving to Ireland, the number that applies to you is the new-tenancy figure, not the blended average. New tenancies run about 16.8% above existing ones nationally. Any article quoting €1,503 as "Irish rent" is quoting what people who have been there a while are paying, which is not what you will be offered.
Rent inflation outside Dublin is running faster than in Dublin, at +6.9%, so the gap between the capital and everywhere else is narrowing.
Daft.ie asking rents, Q1 2026, which are more current but track advertised listings rather than registered tenancies:
| Property | Monthly |
| National average, 2-bed apartment | €2,176 |
| Dublin, 2-bed apartment | €2,536 (+4.3% in the quarter) |
| Double room in a shared house, national | €806 |
| Double room in a shared house, Dublin | €914 |
| Double room, other cities | €731 |
| Single rooms | €527 – €1,002 |
That Dublin quarterly rise of 4.3% is the equal-largest on record, matching early 2007. It followed March 2026 rent-control changes that let landlords reset to market rate when a tenancy ends.
For students, the room figures are the relevant ones: €806 nationally, €914 in Dublin, €731 in other cities. Not the €2,176 two-bed figure.
Daft and the RTB do not agree, and they should not. Daft is advertised asking rents; RTB is registered actual tenancies with a two-quarter lag. Do not mix them in the same table.
Republic of Ireland: house prices, income and inflation
House prices, CSO Residential Property Price Index, June 2026:
- National median: €396,000
- Prices up 5.6% year on year, the slowest since January 2024
- Dublin +4.6%, outside Dublin +6.4%, Border counties +10.5%
- Dearest area: Blackrock, south Dublin, median €851,750
- Cheapest: Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, €157,000
- June 2026: 4,058 purchases worth €1.82bn, of which 1,705 were first-time buyers
Income, CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2025:
- Median annual household disposable income: €61,666, up 4.7% nominal and 2.4% real
- Owner-occupied households: €71,338. Renting or rent-free: €47,599
- Single adult aged 65+: €22,237. Households with three or more workers: €106,524
- Up 32.9% nominal and 11.3% real since 2020
Inflation, CSO CPI July 2026:
- CPI 3.4% annually, unchanged from June. HICP 3.1%
- Education services +8.9%, clothing and footwear +8.5%, housing and utilities +7.7%, insurance and financial services +5.5%
- Services +4.1% against goods +2.5%; mortgage interest +10.0%
- Diesel €1.76 a litre
- First month since December 2021 in which no category showed an annual price fall
That last line is the one to hold on to. Irish inflation is broad rather than concentrated, which is harder to dodge with lifestyle changes than a spike in one category.
Northern Ireland: a very different picture
Rent: £875 a month in May 2026, up 2.3% annually. The previous ONS release put it at £877 in April 2026, up 2.9%, described as the lowest rate in over five years.
A critical caveat, in the ONS's own words: Northern Ireland rental data covers advertised new lets only, while England and Wales cover both new and existing tenancies. NI rent is also published with roughly two months' more lag than Great Britain. So NI's £875 is closer in nature to the Republic's new-tenancy figure than to the England average, and NI against England is not a like-for-like comparison.
Even allowing for all that, NI is the cheapest place to rent in the UK apart from Wales at £843.
House prices: NI standardised average £202,487 in Q2 2026, up 2.1% on the quarter and 9.2% annually on 5,324 sales. That was by a distance the fastest growth of any UK nation, against a UK average of 2.0%.
| Council area | Average price |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh (highest) | £240,737 |
| Mid and East Antrim (lowest) | £177,450 |
Annual growth ranged from 7.0% in Ards and North Down to 12.8% in Newry, Mourne and Down.
Earnings, NISRA and ASHE 2025:
- NI median gross weekly, full-time: £713, up 7.4% from £664
- NI median gross annual, full-time: £37,100
- UK equivalents: £767 weekly, £39,000 annual
- NI had the largest earnings increase of the 12 UK regions in the year, but remains fifth lowest overall
So Northern Ireland is cheap on housing, below average on pay, and currently the fastest-improving on both.
Tuition: the biggest North-South difference for students
Queen's University Belfast, 2026-27 fee schedule:
| Fee status | Annual tuition |
| Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland students | £4,985 |
| Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Islands | £9,790 |
| International and EU-other, classroom | £39,200 |
| Clinical medicine | £47,000 |
| Placement year, all fee statuses | £1,850 |
Read the first two rows again. A student from Dublin pays £4,985 at Queen's. A student from London pays £9,790 at the same university for the same course. Republic of Ireland students are charged the Northern Ireland rate, roughly £17,400 a year less than the international rate and about half what a student from England pays.
That is a genuine, underused arbitrage for Irish students and one very few comparison articles mention.
In the Republic, the student contribution charge has a statutory maximum of €2,500 a year. UCD's actual 2025/26 combined charge was €2,754, made up of the contribution plus a €254 Student Centre Levy and a €5 levy, after a permanent €500 reduction announced in Budget 2026 for Free Fees-eligible students. The 2026/27 amount was not published at the time of writing.
The Free Fees Initiative means the state pays tuition for most EEA, Swiss and UK undergraduates who meet residency (three of the last five years), nationality and course criteria for an eligible full-time course of at least two years.
Trinity College Dublin 2026/27 for comparison: EU Year 1 tuition €3,181 to €9,332 plus a contribution of €0 to €2,500, for a total of €1,381 to €9,550 after grants. Non-EU total: €7,380 to €41,210.
North vs South, side by side
| Measure | Republic of Ireland | Northern Ireland |
| Currency | Euro | Pound sterling |
| Rent, new tenancy / advertised | €1,755 national, €2,232 Dublin (Q4 2025) | £875 (May 2026) |
| Student room, shared house | €806 national, €914 Dublin (Q1 2026) | Not separately published |
| House price | €396,000 median (June 2026) | £202,487 standardised average (Q2 2026) |
| House price growth | +5.6% | +9.2% |
| Inflation | 3.4% CPI (July 2026) | UK-wide 2.9% CPI (July 2026) |
| Median income | €61,666 household disposable (2025) | £37,100 individual full-time gross (April 2025) |
| Undergraduate tuition for locals | €2,500 max contribution (Free Fees) | £4,985 at Queen's |
Four caveats before you use that table:
- Different currencies. Every cross-border comparison shifts with the exchange rate. We have not converted anything. Do the conversion yourself with a rate you can date.
- Income rows are not comparable. €61,666 is a household after tax. £37,100 is one full-time worker before tax. These are different animals.
- Different rent measures. NI covers advertised new lets only. The Republic's RTB figure covers registered tenancies with a lag; Daft covers advertisements.
- Different reference periods. RTB is Q4 2025, Daft is Q1 2026, NI rent is May 2026, NI house prices are Q2 2026. Nothing here is same-month.
So where is cheaper?
Northern Ireland, clearly, on housing. £875 a month rent and a £202,487 average house price against €1,755 and €396,000. Even at unfavourable exchange rates the gap is not close.
The Republic pays better on a household basis, and has a lower headline tuition contribution for eligible students under the Free Fees Initiative.
The catch in Northern Ireland is that pay is below the UK average and house prices are rising 9.2% a year, the fastest in the UK. The affordability advantage is real today and shrinking.
The catch in the Republic is that inflation is broad, at 3.4% with no category falling for the first time since December 2021, education services are up 8.9%, and housing and utilities are up 7.7%. And the two-tier rental market means newcomers pay meaningfully more than the headline average suggests.
For students, the Queen's fee structure is the sharpest single insight here: a Republic of Ireland student can study in Belfast at the local rate.
If you are looking at student accommodation on either side, our guides to the best websites for finding private student accommodation in Ireland, student accommodation versus private renting in Ireland on cost, monthly utility costs in Irish student accommodation and how university accommodation ballots work in Ireland cover the practicalities. There is also a guide to splitting utility bills fairly in shared student housing and which documents you need at check-in.
For a wider UK comparison, see our guides to the most expensive cities in the UK and the cost of living in Manchester.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to live in Ireland?
In the Republic, a new-tenancy rent averages €1,755 a month nationally and €2,232 in Dublin. A double room in a shared house is €806 nationally and €914 in Dublin. Median household disposable income is €61,666 and inflation is 3.4%.
How much is rent in Dublin?
€2,232 a month for a new tenancy in Q4 2025 per the RTB, or €2,536 for an advertised two-bed apartment in Q1 2026 per Daft.ie. A double room in a shared house in Dublin averages €914 a month.
Is Northern Ireland cheaper than the Republic of Ireland?
On housing, substantially. Northern Ireland rent averaged £875 a month in May 2026 and the average house price was £202,487 in Q2 2026, against €1,755 and €396,000 in the Republic. Northern Irish pay is below the UK average, and NI house prices are rising 9.2% a year, the fastest in the UK.
What is the cost of living in Northern Ireland?
Rent averages £875 a month, house prices £202,487, and median full-time earnings are £37,100 a year, about £2,000 below the UK average. Inflation follows the UK rate of 2.9%. Northern Ireland is the second-cheapest part of the UK to rent after Wales.
Why do Irish rent figures vary so much between sources?
Because they measure different things. The RTB covers registered tenancies and splits new from existing, with new tenancies running about 16.8% higher. Daft.ie covers advertised asking rents, which are more current and run higher again. A newcomer pays closer to the Daft or RTB new-tenancy figure.
How much is the student contribution charge in Ireland?
The statutory maximum is €2,500 a year. UCD's actual 2025/26 combined charge was €2,754 including levies, after a permanent €500 reduction announced in Budget 2026 for students eligible under the Free Fees Initiative. The 2026/27 figure was not published at the time of writing.
Do Irish students pay international fees in Northern Ireland?
No. Queen's University Belfast charges Republic of Ireland students the Northern Ireland rate of £4,985 for 2026-27, the same as local students, and about half the £9,790 charged to students from England, Scotland and Wales.