Ireland pays a solid minimum wage and hospitality, retail and tourism work is easy to find, but rent is the cost that defines everything, especially in Dublin. This guide covers what you'll earn, what rent really costs around the country, what a week in Dublin looks like week to week, how the cities compare, and how to move your money in and out.
The national minimum wage is EUR 14.15 an hour from 1 January 2026 (Citizens Information / WRC). Rent is the hard part: the national standardised average rent for new tenancies was EUR 1,755 a month in Q4 2025, and Dublin was higher again (RTB Rent Index). Almost everyone shares. Budget hardest for rent, a deposit plus first month upfront, and your first weeks before payday. A TFI Leap Card with fare capping keeps transport cheap.
The funds you must show to qualify for the Working Holiday Authorisation are set per nationality and live in your corridor's visa snapshot, so check the figure that applies to you there rather than here. Whatever the entry requirement, treat it as a floor and not a budget.
In practice, plan to land with enough for a deposit plus your first month's rent (see rent below), a few weeks of living costs while you find work, the EUR 300 immigration registration fee covered in the getting started guide, and your insurance. Your first month is your most expensive.
Ireland sets one national minimum wage, not regional rates. From 1 January 2026 it is EUR 14.15 per hour for workers aged 20 and over (Citizens Information / Workplace Relations Commission, under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000). Younger workers get sub-minimum rates.
| Age group | Minimum hourly rate | Share of full rate |
|---|---|---|
| 20 and over | EUR 14.15 | 100% |
| 19 | EUR 12.74 | 90% |
| 18 | EUR 11.32 | 80% |
| Under 18 | EUR 9.91 | 70% |
Source: Citizens Information / WRC. Many working holidaymakers are over 20, so the EUR 14.15 rate is the one to plan around. Hospitality, retail and tourism work often pays at or near minimum, sometimes with tips on top (tips paid to you do not count towards the minimum wage). Tax (PAYE), PRSI and USC come off through payroll; register your job with Revenue to avoid emergency tax, covered in the tax guide.
Rent is the single biggest call on your money in Ireland, and Dublin is the sharp end. Rent is quoted per month.
The official benchmark is the RTB Rent Index, produced by the ESRI for the Residential Tenancies Board:
Those are whole-tenancy averages, not the price of a single room. Almost every working holidaymaker shares a house or flat, so your share of a place is what matters. Market listing data gives a sense of the top of the range: a Dublin city centre apartment advertised at around EUR 2,828 a month (indicative, third party, Daft.ie Q1 2026 rental report), which is exactly why people share rather than rent alone.
Expect to pay a deposit plus the first month's rent upfront before you get the keys, and to compete for viewings in a tight market. Income makes you a credible tenant, so a hostel for your first weeks while you line up work is normal.
Day-to-day prices below are indicative market figures, not official statistics. Cooking at home is far cheaper than eating out, and the discount supermarkets (Aldi, Lidl) undercut the larger chains.
Most Irish cities are walkable and well served by bus, with Dublin adding the Luas tram and DART/commuter rail. You do not need a car in a major city.
The thing that keeps transport cheap is the TFI Leap Card with fare capping: tap on and off and the system automatically stops charging once you hit a daily or weekly cap, after which travel is free for the rest of that day or week (TFI Leap Card).
| Cap | Adult | Young Adult (19 to 25) / Student |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cap | EUR 6.00 | EUR 3.00 |
| Weekly cap (Mon to Sun) | EUR 24.00 | EUR 12.00 |
Source: TFI Leap Card fare capping. The caps apply across Dublin city bus, Luas, DART and commuter rail within Zone 1. If you are aged 19 to 25 you can apply for a TFI Young Adult Leap Card and pay roughly half the adult cap, which is a genuine saving worth setting up early (TFI Leap Card types). Commuter bus services run by Bus Eireann and some Go-Ahead routes are not included in capping.
Built from the figures above. Rent here is a share of a flat, not a whole tenancy.
| Item | Weekly cost |
|---|---|
| Room in a shared flat | around EUR 200 to 260 (indicative, third party; your share, well below the EUR 2,154 Dublin whole-tenancy average from the [RTB Rent Index](https://rtb.ie/data-insights/rtb-research-reports/rtb-esri-rent-index/)) |
| Transport (Leap Card, capped) | up to EUR 24, or EUR 12 on a Young Adult card ([TFI](https://about.leapcard.ie/fare-capping)) |
| Groceries and basics | budget around EUR 60 to 80 (indicative, third party) |
| A couple of meals or pints out | around EUR 40 to 50 (indicative, third party) |
A realistic Dublin week lands somewhere around EUR 330 to 400 before nightlife and travel (indicative, built from the figures above). On full-time work at EUR 14.15 an hour it is liveable, and saving is easier in the cheaper cities.
Dublin is the most expensive place to rent by a clear margin; the other cities are noticeably cheaper for housing while still having active job markets. As a planning guide using market listing data (indicative, third party, Daft.ie Q1 2026 rental report, city centre apartments):
| City | Indicative monthly rent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | around EUR 2,828 | Highest rents, most jobs, budget hardest here |
| Galway | around EUR 2,309 | Smaller, lively, strong hospitality and tourism work |
| Cork | around EUR 2,103 | Ireland's second city, cheaper than Dublin |
| Limerick | around EUR 1,900 | Lowest of the four, growing job market |
Source: Daft.ie Q1 2026 rental report (indicative, third party; city centre apartment asking rents, not your share of a shared flat). For the official picture by area, the RTB Rent Index breaks rents down by county. Cork, Galway and Limerick all let you stretch a working-holiday budget further than Dublin while still finding hospitality, retail and tourism work.
Bringing your savings into euro on arrival, and moving money home later, both go through an exchange rate, and banks usually add a margin on top of any visible fee. Specialist services such as Wise and OFX often mean more of your money arrives (indicative; compare the live rate and fees yourself). It is worth comparing for the big initial transfer especially. For everyday banking once you land, see the banking guide.
The funds you must show to qualify are set by your nationality and listed in your corridor's visa snapshot, so check that figure. Beyond it, plan to land with enough for a rental deposit plus first month, a few weeks of living costs while job-hunting, the EUR 300 immigration registration fee, and insurance.
EUR 14.15 an hour for workers aged 20 and over from 1 January 2026, with lower rates for under-20s (EUR 12.74 at 19, EUR 11.32 at 18). It is a single national rate, not regional (Citizens Information / WRC).
The national standardised average rent for new tenancies was EUR 1,755 a month in Q4 2025, and Dublin was EUR 2,154 (RTB Rent Index). Those are whole tenancies; almost everyone shares, so your share of a flat is lower. Expect a deposit plus first month upfront.
Yes, mainly because of rent. Cork, Galway and Limerick are all cheaper to rent in while still having job markets, so many working holidaymakers base themselves outside Dublin to save (indicative, Daft.ie).
Fare capping stops charging you once you reach a daily or weekly limit, then travel is free for the rest of that period. The adult caps are EUR 6.00 a day and EUR 24.00 a week; a Young Adult (19 to 25) card roughly halves that (TFI Leap Card).
Compare your bank against specialist transfer services such as Wise and OFX on the live rate plus fees, particularly for the large initial transfer (indicative).
Verified on 23 June 2026 by the WHE research team. Sources: citizensinformation.ie · rtb.ie. How we verify →