Ireland Ranks Among Highest for Cost of Living in Europe

Irish people are not imagining it when they voice exasperation at the cost of living - official data show we are among the most expensive in Europe for the likes of medication, alcohol and tobacco, but also public tansport, housing costs, maintenance, and bills.

BY Realty Plus
Published - Tuesday, 31 Aug, 2021

Ireland Ranks Among Highest for Cost of Living in Europe

Irish people are not imagining it when they voice exasperation at the cost of living - official data show we are among the most expensive in Europe for the likes of medication, alcohol and tobacco, but also public tansport, housing costs, maintenance, and bills. Data from the European Commission's statistics body Eurostat this week highlighted that Ireland is the most expensive country in the EU for spirits, beer, wine, tobacco, and pain medication, when all taken together. In relation to housing costs. Ireland is massively above the entire bloc of member states, at 77.7% higher than the EU average. Eurostat includes the likes of rent, maintenance, utility bills and repairs in its list of housing costs, and Ireland is only behind Switzerland, a non-EU member that the statistics body included for comparison purposes, along with the Nordic countries. When it comes to hospitality, Ireland is behind only Switzerland and the Nordic countries of Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Eurostat data show that Ireland is seventh in terms of the cost of restaurants, cafés, pubs, hotels, hostels and more. We are not much better when it comes to recreation and leisure spending, according to the data. With a major focus on the shift from private to public transport in the coming years to meet the targets of the newly-signed Climate Bill, the prices consumers face has laid bare the challenge ahead. According to the Eurostat data, when it comes to transport by rail and bus, Ireland is fifth overall, far ahead of the EU average. Aviation and driving costs are also included in this category. When it comes to switching to emissions-friendly modes of transport, cycling is also just as expensive, the data show.