Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Ireland Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 44.8% more expensive than Ireland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.3% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 40.4% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 28.7% less in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 66.4% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9 times more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.3% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 12.7% more in San Diego
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in San Diego are more expensive than in Ireland. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Ireland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Ireland, you would:
pay 24.3% more for restaurants
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.70
€16.92
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.31
€9.72
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
€2.05
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.91
€1.64
|
$2.50
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
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pay 40.4% more for groceries
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.04
€1.75
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.16
€4.43
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.06
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.07
€3.49
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.10
€4.38
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.37
€1.18
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.84
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
€1.20
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
€1.54
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.86
€0.74
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
€0.59
|
$1.12
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
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pay 28.7% less for transportation
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.75
€6.66
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$121.81
€104.61
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$41,319.33
€35,485.50
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.20
€19.06
|
$19.40
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
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pay 66.4% more for housing
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.47
€44.21
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,543.12
€1,325.25
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,305.59
€1,121.26
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$178.90
€153.64
|
$205.84
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
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pay 2.9 times more for childcare
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,108.91
€952.35
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,959.78
€5,977.13
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
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pay 13.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
€5.69
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.32
€3.71
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.16
€16.45
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.57
€54.60
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.32
€11.44
|
$17.50
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 12.7% more for clothing
|
Ireland
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$89.93
€77.23
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.06
€35.27
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.01
€82.45
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.40
€82.79
|
$126.25
|
|
Ireland vs. San Diego - Cost of clothing
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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
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Compare countries by overall cost of living
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cost of living in Ireland vs. United States.
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