#Cost of living

Articles and features relating to the increasing cost of living in Ireland

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Woman taking out money from wallet
Lack of cost-of-living supports negated Budget's welfare rises for lower-income households
The paper also discusses the Vat rate cut for sections of the hospitality sector, which is costing €681 million and is equivalent to 60% of the total cost of welfare measures enacted in the Budget

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

cars in the parking lot
Irish Examiner view: EV target for 2030 a flight of fancy now
It is clear to pretty much everyone that our world is not yet ready for fully electric motoring

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Cost of living has forced people from 'all walks of life' through our doors, says Cork Penny Dinners
Cost of living has forced people from 'all walks of life' through our doors, says Cork Penny Dinners
'The numbers will grow until the cost of living comes down to an affordable living for everybody'

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

Pearse Doherty tells Taoiseach: 'You can't stop yourself from making life harder for people'
Pearse Doherty tells Taoiseach: 'You can't stop yourself from making life harder for people'
Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson made the claim over changes made earlier this year to blister packs — the types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for some pharmaceuticals

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Students sitting in amphitheater
'Student accommodation will be unaffordable' if plan to permit more rent hikes goes through
UCC Students' Union says rent may deter people from third-level education and calls for more publicly-funded apartments 

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Close up spouses calculating family budget paying online using laptop
Nearly 60% of workers feeling financial strain
PwC’s latest Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey also found that AI use remains 'low'

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Man opening curtains in room at sunrise, idyllic sunlight
Caitríona Redmond: Stay warm without burning money this winter
It’s all about using as many tricks as possible to keep warm, despite the cold outside

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Fianna Fail Enterprise Roundtable
Social welfare payments: Here's when people will receive the Christmas bonus
Pensioners, carers and people with disabilities will be among those receiving the bonus on the same day they usually receive their weekly pension or other primary payment

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Person viewing a smart meter and making a hot drink, with a white kettle
Cost of living: Surge in people switching energy suppliers after price hikes
PrePayPower/Yuno and Electric Ireland were the big winners after Bord Gáis Energy, Flogas, SSE Airtricity, Pinergy, and Energia all announced price rises in the space of a few weeks

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Health insurance costs set to rise again as Irish Life warns of 5% increase
Health insurance costs set to rise again as Irish Life warns of 5% increase
Irish Life Health will increase premiums by an average of 5% from January 2026, adding to several rises already this year

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Crunching the household budget
Majority of households have less to spend during Christmas this year as financial worries mount 
Irish consumers plan to cut back on entertainment and spending on presents, survey finds

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Close Up Of Woman Sharing Cup Of Tea With Elderly Parent
Removing means test on carer's allowance could cost around €260m, independent body finds
The Parliamentary Budget Office's estimate is far less than the €600m a year touted by the Government, but 'significant uncertainty' remains over the number that would take it up

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

Irish Black Friday spend expected to fall 14% since last year
Irish Black Friday spend expected to fall 14% since last year
PwC survey suggests the average Irish consumer expects to spend €283 during the 2025 Black Friday sales weekend

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Cabinet meeting
Government and Sinn Féin clash over energy credits as over 300,000 households behind on bills
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the fuel allowance is now worth over €1,000 per year for the fuel allowance period

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Cost-of-living crisis sees more middle-income families turning to charity
Cost-of-living crisis sees more middle-income families turning to charity
High food price inflation and increasing energy costs mean "it really could be anybody" seeking the support of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

SVP criticises Government's 'piecemeal' approach to battling poverty
SVP criticises Government's 'piecemeal' approach to battling poverty
The charity’s national president Teresa Ryan said it has seen calls rise 7% in the year to October

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

A customer buys in a store.
Consumers facing an expensive Christmas as food and energy prices soar
CSO figures show inflation last month was at its highest level since March 2024

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Cork City Council increases budget for 2026 to €362.2m
Cork City Council increases budget for 2026 to €362.2m
Councillors also agreed a 5% increase in commercial rates — but will reintroduce rebates of up to 4% for qualifying ratepayers

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025

Caitríona Redmond: Free flights for my shopping points? I don’t believe it!
Caitríona Redmond: Free flights for my shopping points? I don’t believe it!
Does every little really help? Not always

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Shopper with shopping cart on Christmas sale in shop
Shoppers warned away from 'buy now, pay later' services ahead of Christmas
Savings are usually the most cost-effective way to finance Christmas spending, says price comparison website Bonkers.ie

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

The tracker mortgage scandal: Banks almost destroyed my family
The tracker mortgage scandal: Banks almost destroyed my family
The Redmonds went through seven separate procedures with the bank, which involved every penny they spent being scrutinised

 Listen | Fri, 07 Nov, 2025

 Listen |
Cost of living crisis
Five Cork schools illegally seeking fees from parents
One school described the fee as a 'non-refundable' registration fee, while another described it as a 'voluntary registration fee'

Thu, 06 Nov, 2025

Election 2025 NYC Mayor
Marion McKeone: Zohran Mamdani win rings starting bell for Donald Trump vs New York fight
Billionaire-backed Andrew Cuomo was swept away by ordinary New Yorkers galvanised by a cheery 34-year-old who kept his campaign focused on the cost of living 

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

A pensioner adjusting the temperature control on his combi boiler. Redcar, UK. 26/5/2021. Photograph: Stuart Boulton.
Irish households owe €177m in domestic energy debt
Energy minister Darragh O'Brien said that more targeted measures are needed to protect households, adding that energy credits were not sustainable

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

Colin Sheridan: Ireland is moving so fast, it's forgotten its people
Colin Sheridan: Ireland is moving so fast, it's forgotten its people
We are a rich country masquerading as a poor one, run by people terrified of annoying people even richer

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Farmer pouring raw milk into container
Wholesale food prices up by 4.5% in September 
Prices for food, beverage, and tobacco products have increased by 3.5%, according to the CSO

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

Mid adult woman in supermarket holding milk
Five myths about the milk 'price war' going on in Ireland's supermarkets
This price war has nothing to do with helping consumers make ends meet, but about deflecting attention away from supermarkets. Every time there’s a focus on grocery prices being in 'rip-off' territory, there’s a pretend price war, writes Eoin McGettigan

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025

Sad boy standing alone in the hallway
Budget 2026 cuts income of Ireland's poorest households by over 4%, says report
There were no major tax cuts for workers and the one-off cost-of-living supports from previous budgets have been phased out

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Electric vehicles survey
EV switch ‘biggest step’ most drivers can take to hit climate goals, committee hears
Experts told an Oireachtas committee that while public transport remains vital, EV adoption is crucial for meeting Ireland’s 2030 emissions targets

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Budget 2026: Childcare cost ‘is basically a second mortgage’
Budget 2026: Childcare cost ‘is basically a second mortgage’
Two mothers trying to balance their household budgets highlight two big challenges — the cost-of-living crisis and eye-watering childcare costs 

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Budget 2026: 'I can’t fathom the amount we're spending on essentials' 
Budget 2026: 'I can’t fathom the amount we're spending on essentials' 
Despite living in a solar-powered home, a Killarney couple say soaring energy and grocery bills are pushing them to the limit

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Shoppers at supermarket Sainsbury's for their weekly shopping when special prices are on offer, dealing with the cost of living
Caitríona Redmond: Families go backwards as Paschal Donohoe peels an orange in his pocket
Soaring energy prices and food shrinkflation are battering even the most frugal of families — and Budget 2026 has done nothing for them

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Mick Clifford: Some sections of society left shortchanged by 'Big Mac budget'
Mick Clifford: Some sections of society left shortchanged by 'Big Mac budget'
This was a budget more focused on business, and the need to ensure that the economy is equipped for any approaching storm rather than alleviating the worst ravages of poverty, writes Mick Clifford

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Budget 2026: 'I just want the Government to do better for people with disabilities'
Budget 2026: 'I just want the Government to do better for people with disabilities'
People with intellectual disabilities feel they are very low on the Government's list of priorities

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Wage slips, wages pay payslips wageslips
No boost to take-home pay as tax bands frozen in Budget 2026, says Donohoe
Finance minister Paschal Donohoe confirms income tax bands will remain unchanged as budget negotiations drag on amid economic caution

Sat, 04 Oct, 2025

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: What is frugaltok, and should you try it?
The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: What is frugaltok, and should you try it?
While you may have learned some cost-saving tricks from a frugal granny, Gen Z learn these things online, so every penny-pinching trick conceivable is now part of a TikTok trend called frugaltok

 Listen | Fri, 03 Oct, 2025

 Listen |
Wage slips, wages pay payslips wageslips
Group recommends another increase in living wage ahead of Budget 2026
Over the past year, the Living Wage Technical Group says minimum living costs increased by 5.8% for a working-age single adult, with rents accounting for two-thirds of the rise

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025

Image of modern fireplace, woodburning stove, coal buckets, log basket
Indoor wood burners cause damage 'in a similar way to cigarette smoke' 
Study links the growing popularity of domestic wood burning to lung damage

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

What Ursula von der Leyen’s EU energy plans mean for Ireland’s soaring household bills
What Ursula von der Leyen’s EU energy plans mean for Ireland’s soaring household bills
As energy bills rise again, EU leaders push sweeping reforms — but Ireland faces warnings it is lagging behind targets

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025

Person eating fish and polenta at restaurant
Just 10% of consumers see a hospitality Vat cut as a budget priority 
Healthcare, housing, and cost of living among top priorities of Irish households, survey shows

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

Worried man checking bills and looking at financial analysis of expenses at home.
One-off payments failed to tackle poverty — what will work is to index social welfare rates to average wages
Benchmarking social welfare rates to average earnings would help to mitigate the impact of rising costs, give long-term certainty to households on fixed incomes, and prevent widening income inequality

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Woman shopping at a grocery store and checking her receipt
Grocery price inflation increases again, putting further pressure on households 
Significant price rises in weeks leading up to September 7 came amid increased household spending as schools started after summer break, new data shows

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Adam Maguire: Irish Bailout Babies still paying the price of the financial crash
Adam Maguire: Irish Bailout Babies still paying the price of the financial crash
People who were children during the 2008 crash and subsequent bailout are struggling on inadequate pay and living in insecure rentals with little hope of starting a family, writes Adam Maguire

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Young woman 20s attempting to read and understand her electricity meter reading and energy bill
Budget 2026: 9% Vat rate on gas and electricity should remain – Jack Chambers 
Public expenditure minister said the 9% rate should be retained to prevent further price hikes for consumers

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

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