Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Ireland Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 62.0% more expensive than Ireland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 28.3% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 58.1% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 32.3% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 35.8% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 4.1 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.6% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 12.3% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Ireland. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Ireland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Ireland, you would:
pay 28.3% more for restaurants
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.70
€16.79
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.31
€9.64
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
€2.04
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.91
€1.62
|
$2.79
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 58.1% more for groceries
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.04
€1.74
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.16
€4.39
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.02
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.07
€3.46
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.10
€4.34
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.37
€1.17
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.83
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
€1.19
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
€1.53
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.86
€0.74
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
€0.58
|
$1.64
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 32.3% less for transportation
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.75
€6.60
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$121.81
€103.78
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$41,319.33
€35,204.32
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.20
€18.91
|
$16.73
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 35.8% more for housing
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.47
€43.86
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,543.12
€1,314.75
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,305.59
€1,112.37
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$178.90
€152.42
|
$146.54
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 4.1 times more for childcare
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,108.91
€944.80
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,959.78
€5,929.77
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 23.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
€5.65
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.32
€3.68
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.16
€16.32
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.57
€54.16
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.32
€11.35
|
$16.75
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 12.3% more for clothing
|
Ireland
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$89.93
€76.62
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.06
€34.99
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.01
€81.80
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.40
€82.14
|
$133.22
|
|
Ireland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Ireland vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Ireland and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or Ireland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.