For such a country with a total population that’s only a little more than half the population of New York City, Ireland certainly boasts a powerful economy. With the help of some EU loans, Ireland has recovered from the dark days of the recession, and their economic success has made them the poster child of austerity payments.
This booming economy makes Ireland one of the more expensive European countries to visit barring Scandinavia. This was one of my favorite locales so it’s definitely worth saving up to go to this rainy and alcohol laced paradise. Despite the high cost, it’s possible to maintain a fairly decent budget while still seeing most of the sights. This budget analysis also assumes you’re going to Northern Ireland (prices will still be referenced in euros) since prices don’t vary too much when you enter the British side.
Let’s see how much it costs for a two week journey!
| Category | Expected Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $9.00 |
| Entertainment | $9.00 |
| Food | $12.00 |
| Living | $2.00 |
| Lodging | $23.00 |
| Travel | $11.00 |
| Grand Total | $66.00 |
Table 1. Expected cost per day for a two week trip
Alcohol
You know it’s expensive in Ireland when draft Guinness is more expensive than it is in the States. Its seriously baffling when tanks of beer gets shipped across an ocean, transported via a truck for another thousand miles and ends up being cheaper than where it started.
A pint of Guinness should cost around €4 – €5 ($5 – $6.20) at a local pub. That’s what the locals and you should expect to pay. If you’re in Dublin, it’s okay for the price to go up by another euro. However, if you end up in the Temple Bar district or many tourist areas, these prices will skyrocket. Prices can easily run around €7 ($8.70) and will rise throughout the night, reaching as high as €10 ($12.42) late in the evening when everyone’s righteously intoxicated. So let’s stay away from these places.
Temple Bar actually refers to the district. Many people don’t know this and flock to the actual Temple Bar and end up paying for way overpriced drinks
Normally, I would suggest grabbing beers from the grocery store and pre-gaming prior to tearing up the town, but I can’t support that here. A night out on the town is why the beer budget is set rather high and for good reason. For one, the taxes on beers are really high, so drinking at home will only net you marginal savings. For example, a can of cheap garbage beer will still cost around €2.50 ($3.10) at the grocery store.
The second and best reason to splurge on alcohol is because social drinking is a cornerstone of Irish culture. Quite often after work, many locals head to the pub to unwind with a beer among friends and I can easily see why. The Irish have a way of making old, rustic wood bars feel warm and cozy. When you step into a bar from the windy, drizzling rain and see the warm yellowish lights, hear the chatter of the crowd and the Irish violin, you’ll be glad you paid the extra couple euros to enjoy this ambiance.
Entertainment
I love you Ireland, but you seriously have to make it easier for me to do touristy things. The whole country is pretty expensive (and this is the last time I’ll emphasize it), but Dublin will always take the crown for replacing the money in my wallet with moths.
Want to see the extravagantly decorated Book of Kells? That’ll be €13.50 ($16.77). How about seeing the Jameson Distillery where they don’t even make Jameson anymore? That’s another €20 ($24.85). And it’s not like these museums or tours take all day either, you can easily see the Book of Kells, Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery in one day and will run you the better part of a hundred bucks.
Due to this, the entertainment budget is also set high and even with this increase, you’ll still have to pick and choose which sites are important to you. You may have to choose between the Book of Kells, Christ Church or a very awesome Game of Thrones tour in Northern Ireland (HINT HINT).
At least the Giant’s Causeway is free to visit, it’s just the visitor center that costs money to enter.
Food
Well we had to scale back on the budget somewhere. While I may find the social aspect of Irish culture to be one of the best in the world, their culinary arts are… okay. Their foods are very hearty and warm, which is actually great for their wet and temperate climates. You won’t regret trying some of the local dishes like a good stew, blood sausage, meat pies or the more British fish and chips.
Unless you get the quick fast food versions which can only cost €5 ($6.20), most of these dishes are best tried in a restaurant and can easily cost around €13 – €18 ($16.15 – $22.37). Once you get a nice sampling of Irish cuisine, its best to head to the grocery store and self-cater (which is still painfully kind of pricey).
This was good, but I’m pretty sure I could have made it at home
Living
Expect the usual, small costs like the occasional souvenir or perhaps some more toothpaste. Hand wash your clothes, as laundry in most accommodations is pretty expensive. Also expect to pay more money when you exchange your currency. When you go in and out of Northern Ireland, you’ll have to change your money back and forth from euros to pounds. Those exchange rate differences are tiny but will add up after a few exchanges.
Lodging
The average price you’ll find for a decent hostel is around €20 ($24.85) but this cost can vary dramatically. This swing in cost is due to the weekend pricing in Dublin. Since Dublin isn’t too far out, many locals from the nearby towns will often head to the capital for its ruckus nightlife on the weekends, thereby increasing the cost of lodging. It’s definitely worth being in town for at least one weekend night, but from a budget standpoint, the cheapest hostel will still run you around €35 ($43.50) for one night!
Travel
The ones who enjoy the freedom of movement, have the money to spend and don’t mind driving on the wrong side of the road, are best served by renting a car. For the rest of us, we’re restrained by the bus routes and Ireland’s more mediocre public transportation.
How is this an acceptable speed limit for this road?
The good news is that all roads lead back to Dublin and all bus rides are fairly short, rarely going above four hours for a leg of the journey. The bad news is that these bus rides are as expensive as everything else in Ireland. Depending on the length, expect to pay €14 – €20 ($17.40 – $24.85) for each trip. You do get a discount if you buy a round trip ticket with some companies, and with these prices, it’s worth planning ahead to cash in on those savings.
My Costs
Ireland is definitely one of my favorite countries to visit in Europe, so despite the cost and the intense frugalness I had to exercise in the country, every minute was worth it (I might have disagreed more that night I slept at airport). The total cost for me was above what I would like but is still very reasonable.
| Category | Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $8.47 |
| Entertainment | $8.09 |
| Food | $11.68 |
| Living | $2.25 |
| Lodging | $22.95 |
| Travel | $13.29 |
| Grand Total | $66.72 |
Table 2. Actual cost per day over 14 days
After Ireland, I went to Scotland and got sick for the short time I was there. I learned too little and did too little to give any meaningful advice. I’m simply going to include my time spent in Scotland for my running total, bringing my trip up to this point at just over three months.
| Category | Total Running Cost per Day |
| Alcohol | $4.22 |
| Entertainment | $5.33 |
| Food | $12.74 |
| Living | $1.35 |
| Lodging | $22.21 |
| Travel | $7.52 |
| Grand Total | $53.38 |
Table 3. Running total after 94 days including Scotland
Stray Observations
- Everyone jaywalks in Dublin and it’s surprisingly hard because you have to look the opposite way before you cross the street. Fortunately, the direction you have to look in is spray painted on the road.
- Thick sliced bacon or rashers as they’re called, must be a staple because they’re sold in half a dozen varieties at every grocery and convenience store
- No Irish actually wears those large wool sweaters they hock everywhere
- Irish call people “potholes”. This is without a doubt the greatest insult I have ever heard.
- Whiskey means water of life. Probably why they drink so much of it.
- Fun fact from the Jameson tour. 2.3% of their whiskey evaporates a day, which is a monstrous 34,000 bottles lost each day. This is cutely called the “angels share”.
Until next time.