Moving to
Ireland
Moving to Ireland: one person needs about $3,300/month in Dublin (a family about $7,900), the top personal income-tax rate is 40% — roughly $45,060 take-home on a $60,000 salary — and there is no dedicated digital-nomad visa. Permanent residency takes about 5 years, and citizenship about 5.
Dublin is the English-speaking foothold in the EU where Google, Meta and Stripe run their European HQs — if you have a tech skill, the jobs are here. The catch is a genuinely brutal housing crisis, high prices and grey weather, so daily life costs and stress run high. People move for the career access, the EU passport route and never needing another language.
Last updated August 2026 · How we calculate this
Ireland by the numbers
Relative scores across cost, safety, healthcare, quality of life and connectivity (higher is better).
Why move to Ireland
- English-speaking EU member
- Big-tech European HQs hire here
- EU citizenship after five years
The catch
- Severe housing shortage, sky-high rents
- Expensive, grey rainy weather
- No digital-nomad visa
Take-home pay
Net salary in Ireland on a $60k gross, after income tax and social security:
Statutory 20%/40% bands are shown net of ~€4,000 personal and employee tax credits; USC plus 4.2% PRSI form the ~6.5% social rate.
Cost of living · Dublin
Average all-in monthly cost in USD — estimates for guidance.
Compare cities →Visa & residency
No digital nomad visa; the closest route is Stamp 0 for self-sufficient persons (roughly €50,000/yr income).
No nomad visa; the realistic route is an employer-sponsored Critical Skills Employment Permit (min salary €40,904 from March 2026, degree in a shortage field), which leads to Stamp 4 after 21 months and citizenship after five years. Non-EU applicants without a job offer have few options beyond study or a Stamp 0 independent-means permit.
How can I move here? → Where can my passport go? →Economy & everyday life
The headline $155,089 GDP-per-capita PPP is a multinational-tax mirage — real wages are solid but Dublin's cost of living is brutal, with rent the single biggest shock. Inflation has cooled to 2.2% after the 2022 surge, yet housing stays scarce and pricey, so budget hard. Life expectancy is a healthy 83; the public HSE system works but waitlists are long, so most expats and locals alike carry private insurance to skip the queue.
Healthcare
World Bank data, most recent available — shows how well the system is resourced, not what you'll personally pay.
Safety
US State Department advisory level, country-wide — general guidance, not neighbourhood-specific. Full advisory →
Education
World Bank data, most recent available — learning score reflects harmonised international test performance.
Connectivity
World Bank data, most recent available.
Getting a passport
Compare all countries →5 yrs reckonable residence within last 9, incl. 1 continuous yr before applying; no language or civics test.
By residence — confirm with the official authority.
Best time to go
Full climate →Average daily temperature by month · 2023 (Open-Meteo).
Where expats live in Ireland
Cost of living by city
All cities →All-in monthly cost for one person — tap a city for the full breakdown. Figures are averages, for guidance.
Living in Ireland
Healthcare
A two-tier system where public care is universal but slow, so most working expats buy private insurance (VHI, Laya; roughly €1,500-2,000/year) to skip the queues.
Money & banking
Opening an account is straightforward once you have a PPS number and proof of Irish address; Revolut is near-universal and often used as a first account before a traditional bank.
Internet
Fast and reliable — fiber and gigabit broadband are widespread in cities, remote work is normalized, and coworking is plentiful across Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Etiquette & culture
Greetings, tipping and the taboos to dodge — fit in fast. Open the guide →
On arrival
Full essentials →Getting there
Flight distances →Everything funnels through Dublin (DUB), a major transatlantic gateway with US preclearance and dense links across Europe and North America.
Generally safe with low violent crime, though central Dublin sees some antisocial behaviour and petty theft.
Dial 112 for police, ambulance or fire.
Best for English-speaking tech professionals who want an EU base and an employer to sponsor them.
Your move to Ireland — roadmap
Key terms
- Effective tax rate
- The share of your gross income actually lost to income tax and social contributions combined — almost always lower than the headline top tax bracket.
- Take-home pay
- What actually reaches your account after income tax and employee social contributions are taken off your gross salary.
- Tax residency
- The country entitled to tax your worldwide income — usually where you spend 183 days or more in a year, though the exact test varies by country.
- Permanent residency
- The right to live and work in a country indefinitely — the stage before citizenship, and those years usually count toward naturalization.
- Cost of living
- The all-in monthly spend for one person — rent, food, transport and bills — in the country's main relocation city.
Moving to Ireland — FAQ
Is there income tax in Ireland?
Yes. Ireland taxes income on progressive brackets. On a $60,000 salary the effective rate is about 24.9%, leaving roughly $45,060.
Can digital nomads get a visa for Ireland?
Ireland has no dedicated digital-nomad visa. No digital nomad visa; the closest route is Stamp 0 for self-sufficient persons (roughly €50,000/yr income).
How do you get residency in Ireland?
No nomad visa; the realistic route is an employer-sponsored Critical Skills Employment Permit (min salary €40,904 from March 2026, degree in a shortage field), which leads to Stamp 4 after 21 months and citizenship after five years. Non-EU applicants without a job offer have few options beyond study or a Stamp 0 independent-means permit.
How much does it cost to live in Dublin?
A single person needs roughly $3,300/month in Dublin, and a family around $7,900/month, all-in.
Is tap water safe to drink in Ireland?
Yes — tap water in Ireland is generally safe to drink.