# living expenses in london versus dublin



## zxcvbnm (2 Jul 2010)

Anyone have an idea how expensive is london to live in compared to dublin?

I just mean day to day living expenses such as food,accommodation, alcohol, eating out, clothes, travel etc.

or more specifically my question what goes further :

£100 in london or €100 in dublin.

Basically i may be offered a role in london which pays me the same nominal amount as to what i earn in dublin.
E.g. Lets say I earn €100 in dublin and am now offered a role paying £100 a day in london.
What goes further in ordinary day to day living expenses? The £100 in london or the €100 in dublin.

In a bnutshell WOuld i be better off financially in dublin or london baswed on the same nominal amount?

Currently the exchange rate is 1 to 1.2 - not sure how relevant that is though.


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## ringledman (3 Jul 2010)

Not lived in London only Dublin.

I would say pretty similar. 1 bed flat in Dub - €1000/month. London - £1000/month.

Pint in Dublin €4.5, london £4. etc.

Supermarket food should be cheaper in London. Dublin is a rip off for general food with little competition to keep the retailer prices down.

Public transport in London is a rip off. See how much an Oyster card is.

Pound likely to continue to rise v € as a competent government now in place.


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## aristotle (6 Jul 2010)

ringledman said:


> 1 bed flat in Dub - €1000/month. London - £1000/month.


 
1k for a 1 bed flat in dublin, it must be some flat. You can rent 2 beds for 700 a month very easily now in Dublin.


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## Sunny (6 Jul 2010)

Accomadation is cheaper in Dublin. (Depending on where you live in London as it is much larger).
The cost of day to day living is probably cheaper but again depends where you are in London. 
A


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## DB74 (6 Jul 2010)

ringledman said:


> Public transport in London is a rip off. See how much an Oyster card is.


 
If you haven't lived in London then how can you say that the public transport is a rip-off.

Anytime I've visited London I've found the public transport (ie Tube) very cheap and at least everywhere is readily accessible, which is a very basic necessity of any transport system.

Ever try travelling from Blanchardstown to Lucan via public transport?
Bus into town and then a bus back out to Lucan. 2 hours + travelling for a 5 mile journey.


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## Sunny (6 Jul 2010)

Public transport in London is not a rip off. It's expensive for once off trips but there are various tickets available including Oyster that make it good value. Londoners however have a different opinion but they never lived in Dublin!


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## Protocol (6 Jul 2010)

I was in London last week.

Unlimited bus travel = 3.90 stg pd in London (maybe just after 9:30am??)

Monthly bus pass = 63.80stg.


Pint of ale = 1.99 (unusual), more likely 2.75-3.25stg

Pint of lager = up to 3.70

Main course in pub = from 7.00 to 10 stg


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## zxcvbnm (6 Jul 2010)

Ok - cheers for the info.

To sum up - Going by your examples so is it fair to say that all in, a wage of say £300 a day in london would mean i am better off than i would be for a wage of €300 in dublin ?

Is that a fair comment?

Or is it much of a muchness?


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## Mpsox (6 Jul 2010)

zxcvbnm said:


> Ok - cheers for the info.
> 
> To sum up - Going by your examples so is it fair to say that all in, a wage of say £300 a day in london would mean i am better off than i would be for a wage of €300 in dublin ?
> 
> ...


 
You've got to take some serious tax advice before you can answer a question like that. Your take home pay in London should be greater, especially after the levies were implemented in Ireland, against that, you will have to pay council tax if you are living in London and those vary according to Boroughs and could easily be in excess of €1000-€1500 per year for a couple + water rates as well

Remember as well that VAT goes up by 2.5% in the UK in January.

Bear in mind as well, the cost of travelling home for weddings/funerals/holidays and who knows what else.


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## galleyslave (7 Jul 2010)

Sunny said:


> Public transport in London is not a rip off. It's expensive for once off trips but there are various tickets available including Oyster that make it good value. Londoners however have a different opinion but they never lived in Dublin!


I've lived in both cities. Once you move out a few zones its quite a lot each month in time and money to travel. London is BIG!

bills can add up. council tax, water rates, parking, congestion charge and the remaining utilities. Don't assume fast internet access either - depends on borough. Council tax also varies by borough. Prices and taxes are on the increase I'd say. You can get some cheap booze, but the surroundings reflect the price. Groceries are cheaper to be fair, but as was pointed out, taxation makes a difference in your takehome, especially for married couples.


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## dereko1969 (7 Jul 2010)

As galleyslave and others point out a lot will depend on which zone you're in. If you have to get the 'overground' trains it can be very expensive and there's no taxsaver tickets over there so travel can be a huge cost.
If you're used to being out on the lash or eating out a lot London would be cheaper generally speaking, I love London for weekends but don't think I'd like to live there.


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