Dublin more expensive than Paris, says survey

IT is more expensive to live in Dublin than Paris, claims a survey of EU capitals.

Less than one month after a Forfás report found that Irish shoppers pay the second highest prices in the 12-nation eurozone, it has emerged that Dublin is the third most expensive EU capital, with only London and Copenhagen costing more.

Having a cup of coffee, drinking wine, taking a taxi - all of these pursuits are more expensive in Dublin than Paris.

A cost of living comparison by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that a cup of coffee, including service in Dublin, costs 2.41 euro - 66 cent more than Paris.

Ripped-off Dubliners could buy the same cup of coffee in Lisbon, the cheapest EU capital, for just 1.45 euro, 96 cent cheaper.

An unfurnished two-bedroom apartment, in a ‘good area’ costs 1,054.07 euro in Dublin, compared to just 702.67 euro per month to rent in Lisbon. There was some solace for Dublin dwellers in the rental prices in London where a comparative apartment costs 2,731.38 euro per month. Although Paris is the fourth most expensive city, the survey didn’t include rental prices in the city.

Taxis in Dublin are also dearer than Paris. A taxi costs 0.63 per km in Dublin, compared with 0.60 in Paris and 0.44 per km in Lisbon. Again, London was the most expensive with taxis costing 1.29 per km.

When it comes to buying wine, Irish consumers are hit hard. Buying wine in Ireland is twice as expensive as France. Paris is cheapest for table wine, at 3.90 euro per 0.75 litres compared with 7.91 euro in Dublin. Government taxes on drink here are largely responsible for the difference.

If you can still afford to go the cinema after paying rent, transport and drink costs, then expect to pay 12.74 euro in Dublin for the privilege of you and your companion seeing a popular release. It costs almost 5 euro less to enjoy the cinema experience in Lisbon. However, Londoners are again the worst hit, paying nearly twice as much as Dubliners at 25.88 euro.

The survey examined prices in 144 cities, using New York as its yardstick. It compared the costs of over 200 items, including rented accommodation, babysitting costs and transport costs in each location. Dublin came in half way down the worldwide list as 73rd most expensive city in the world.

A spokeswoman for Mercer said: “In terms of international companies, Dublin is becoming less attractive. The high cost of living is a consideration companies have to take into account when developing remuneration packages for their workers.”

IDA spokesman Colm Donlan said Dublin was a good example of ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’: “It is European integration at its fullest, offering a good lifestyle and high wages but at the same time with a high cost of living. We have got to make Dublin a city where people can live a full life and not just a working life.”

Hong Kong is the world’s most expensive city. It seems the quality of life improves as you move to the cheaper cities: living costs in Auckland and Wellington are less than half those of the world's costliest cities, but both rank in the top 30 for quality of life. Johannesburg is the cheapest city to live in.