General Living costs in Dublin

ringadingding

Hey,

I was hoping for a bit of on the ground knowledge.

Im thinking about returning to Dublin after a 6 year hiatus in Austria.
I know alot of people dont like talking about money, but, im trying to put together a general idea of living costs, so I can make an educated descision on the matter.

Are these expected outgoings realistic, and can a family of 4 live on a salary in the region of 55k, or do you really need a second income to have any sort of life in Dublin ?

Plan to rent a 2/3 bedroom place away from the expensive areas, im thinking swords, clongriffin etc, def northside anyway
monthly outgoings
rent circa 1600
esb 120
bins 20
internet 40
mobile 40
car tax 30 ( nothing huge)
car insurance 70 - cant carry over my no claims from outside ireland :mad:
tv licence 13
food, groceries, toiletries etc 500


does that sound about right, or am I way off the mark in some areas, or is there anything that im forgetting about ?

I lived in dublin before we moved, so it wont come as a huge shock, but the rent increase recently was really shocking to be honest.

I hope these questions havent been asked a thousand times before, just sometimes you forget costs after you´ve been away for a while.

The main reason for our return, is the people.
But are we looking back through rose tinted glasses ?

We have a great life here, good money, nice house, kids in great schools, safe street etc, but we just miss the friendliness of Ireland.

Any Opinions on the matter would be welcome, especially from people whom have moved back to Dublin from another EU country

Thanks in advance

athtrasna

What about gas? Water? Tv service? Petrol? Health insurance? School sundries, doctors, dentist, medicines, car maintenance?

ringadingding

Ah Jesus
Actually my last place in Dublin was only esb.
So no gas for 9 years !
I've never had health insurance in ireland, would it be needed ?

School sundries ? Our kids only started school in Vienna, so as regards to schooling, I'm completely out of the loop, but that's a whole another thread.

Car maintenance would def be another 50 a month I guess.

Thanks for the post

athtrasna

It would be fairly common to have gas heating here, every house /apartment I've lived in has.

Personally I wouldn't skimp on health insurance but I don't think you can afford it on one income.

School sundries - books, uniforms, "voluntary " contribution, school trips, after school activities etc.

Stheno

ringadingding wrote: »

rent circa 1600
esb 120
bins 20
internet 40
mobile 40
car tax 30 ( nothing huge)
car insurance 70 - cant carry over my no claims from outside ireland :mad:
tv licence 13
food, groceries, toiletries etc 500


does that sound about right, or am I way off the mark in some areas, or is there anything that im forgetting about ?

rent circa 1600 - this is fine, you'll get a 3 bed house in this price range.
esb 120 - 120 every two months might be ok
bins 20- My bin service in Swords is 55 standing fee every six months, then 9.25 every time I put out my black bin, so I would say 20 is too low, I'd put it at at least 30
internet 40
mobile 40 - You can get deals on mobile/internet/phone/tv these days, 100 should do you for them all per month
car tax 30 ( nothing huge) - Unless you are planning on buying a post 08 car that's very low - what car are you thinking of?
car insurance 70 - cant carry over my no claims from outside ireland :mad: - Way too low imo, starting with no ncb, you are looking at well over €1000 per year to start
tv licence 13
food, groceries, toiletries etc 500 - I'd add another 100 to that

ringadingding wrote: »

Ah Jesus
Actually my last place in Dublin was only esb.
So no gas for 9 years !
I've never had health insurance in ireland, would it be needed ?

School sundries ? Our kids only started school in Vienna, so as regards to schooling, I'm completely out of the loop, but that's a whole another thread.

Car maintenance would def be another 50 a month I guess.

Thanks for the post

Gas, add in the same amount as for ESB, more during the winter.
We also have water charges now
You've also forgotten home insurance!
Health insurance, if you or your wife get sick will stand to you, not so much your kids though as we don't have a private system for kids health in Ireland

School sundries, uniforms, books, you could be looking at up to 1000e per child at the worst, see http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/more-parents-turn-to-state-for-help-with-school-costs-30446496.html for a breakdown

You also need to factor in trips to the doctor (min. 50e per visit) and prescriptions
Public transport is another consideration if you work in the city centre (think it's about 140 per month for a bus pass but you can get tax back on that of up to 52%)
Car maintenance sounds ok, don't forget NCT testing for cars over 4 years old.

Then you've nothing in your budget for trips/holidays/stuff like hairdressers/clothing etc

Stheno

Btw I forgot to say go to the likes of the http://services.deloitte.ie/tc/and figure out your net if only one of you are working, whoever is working can take half of the others credits once you are married which does make a small difference each month.

What field do you work in?

ringadingding

Thanks a lot !
Really appreciated.

So rent
1600
Esb & gas 120 - 150 family of 4
Tv/Internet/mobile 100-120
Bin charges 30
Car tax - just an old run around to start 30
Car insurance, was quoted 70 a month
Tv licence 13
Food, toiletries etc 500-600
School 85 ( this is a huge shock, everything here is covered, including twice monthly trips)

Health insurance isn't an option on one salary to begin with.

So without things like holidays, trips, one off surprises, birthdays etc you're talking
2700 running costs for a family of 4.

Restaurant industry.

cerastes

ringadingding wrote: »

Ah Jesus
Actually my last place in Dublin was only esb.
So no gas for 9 years !
I've never had health insurance in ireland, would it be needed ?

School sundries ? Our kids only started school in Vienna, so as regards to schooling, I'm completely out of the loop, but that's a whole another thread.

Car maintenance would def be another 50 a month I guess.

Thanks for the post

I think health insurance is a good idea, costs can stack up and its too late if you have to go to a doctor about it and something is detected, you may not then get cover for it if you purchase insurance after this.

As for the car maintenance, depends on the car, it may run into 50 per month or you might get a big bill in one go, really depends on how much you intend on spending on and on what car. You might spend nothing other than servicing one year and then have a host of costs another.

Stheno wrote: »

rent circa 1600 - this is fine, you'll get a 3 bed house in this price range.
esb 120 - 120 every two months might be ok
bins 20- My bin service in Swords is 55 standing fee every six months, then 9.25 every time I put out my black bin, so I would say 20 is too low, I'd put it at at least 30
internet 40
mobile 40 - You can get deals on mobile/internet/phone/tv these days, 100 should do you for them all per month
car tax 30 ( nothing huge) - Unless you are planning on buying a post 08 car that's very low - what car are you thinking of?
car insurance 70 - cant carry over my no claims from outside ireland :mad: - Way too low imo, starting with no ncb, you are looking at well over €1000 per year to start
tv licence 13
food, groceries, toiletries etc 500 - I'd add another 100 to that



Gas, add in the same amount as for ESB, more during the winter.
We also have water charges now
You've also forgotten home insurance!
Health insurance, if you or your wife get sick will stand to you, not so much your kids though as we don't have a private system for kids health in Ireland

School sundries, uniforms, books, you could be looking at up to 1000e per child at the worst, see http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/more-parents-turn-to-state-for-help-with-school-costs-30446496.html for a breakdown

You also need to factor in trips to the doctor (min. 50e per visit) and prescriptions
Public transport is another consideration if you work in the city centre (think it's about 140 per month for a bus pass but you can get tax back on that of up to 52%)
Car maintenance sounds ok, don't forget NCT testing for cars over 4 years old.

Then you've nothing in your budget for trips/holidays/stuff like hairdressers/clothing etc

Thats a bit mad, you cant pass NCB from one EU country to the next, might be worth looking into that, save a small fortune.

I wouldnt agree with the car maintenance, 50 may or may not cover that.
1600 covers more than enough on the rent, again, depends on area, it may even be too high a cost to expect

Stheno

ringadingding wrote: »

Thanks a lot !
Really appreciated.

So rent
1600
Esb & gas 120 - 150 family of 4
Tv/Internet/mobile 100-120
Bin charges 30
Car tax - just an old run around to start 30
Car insurance, was quoted 70 a month
Tv licence 13
Food, toiletries etc 500-600
School 85 ( this is a huge shock, everything here is covered, including twice monthly trips)

Health insurance isn't an option on one salary to begin with.

So without things like holidays, trips, one off surprises, birthdays etc you're talking
2700 running costs for a family of 4.

Restaurant industry.

360 a year for car tax will only cover up to a 1.2 engine pre 2008 check the rates https://www.motortax.ie/OMT/motortaxinfotype.do

That's a good quote for you for car insurance tbh, do you have an Irish licence?

If you will be looking for a cheap old runaround when you get here check out the bangermonics thread in motors which lists different cars under 2k with NCT etc.

Or post in the buying forum there for advice

cerastes wrote: »

Thats a bit mad, you cant pass NCB from one EU country to the next, might be worth looking into that, save a small fortune.

t

No you can't apparently the insurers can't verify the info :rolleyes:

@ OP using the tax calculator net take home for a married couple on 55k where only one spouse works is approx 3510, and I forgot to mention childrens allowance which you will get each month, it's approx. 270 per month for two chidren.

Also in relation to schools, there can be long waiting lists to get in, so I'd start enquiring now if you are hoping to move prior to September, but you'll need to have an area narrowed down.

If you are looking at Swords/Clongriffin etc, then a search in the http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=869 will have a fair few answers to some of your questions about moving there, and ya might as well get to know some of your potential neighours If you are househunting, check out daft.ie to get an idea of areas/costs, most apartments here are tiny compared to Continental Europe so you might want to include houses, you should get a three bed in e.g. Swords for no more than 1300 per month

In relation to health insurance, my partner and I have fairly good cover (not for day to day doctor visits) which costs us €173 per month if you want to factor that into your budget

ringadingding

I didn't realise how subsidised everything here is In Vienna.

Healthcare is free ( well, paid by the employer) and I mean top class healthcare.
School/ book fees would cause civil war
Rent is governed by the state and can only legally rise with the inflation index.
No car tax. - well only a yearly motorway pass - 78 per year.

The same running costs that I have here are under 2000, with full healthcare included from the employer.

Not a huge difference in wages either.

A tough decision ahead., happiness is a huge part of life!
Thanks a lot for your replies, it's helped

MrMorooka

Stay in Vienna, it is a much better city in pretty much every way. Don't uproot your family to come here.

ringadingding

Oh don't get me wrong, I know Vienna Functions brilliantly, the taxation is the same as Dublin, but you get a whole lot more for your taxes.

I'm actually very happy here, but my wife yearns for Dublin, she's immersed into the austrian way of life, which is very negative and cold.
I had a great opportunity to return to Dublin and we're weighing up the pros / cons.

My career will always be stronger in Dublin, as I have a name here, whereas in Vienna it's a battle. I know I'll never achieve my full potential in Vienna.

I hope I don't cause offense by saying that I would much rather raise my children in Vienna than in Dublin.
We're conpletrly on the fence to be honest!

ProudDUB

I think that 1600 is an overly generous budget for rent, especially for the areas you mention. Have you been looking on Daft.ie and MyHome.ie? They are the two best websites to see what rental properties are out there? All of these Swords properties are available for just 1,300 euros per month.

http://www.daft.ie/dublin/houses-to-rent/swords/?s%5Bmxp%5D=1300&s%5Bmnb%5D=2&s%5Bmxb%5D=3&s%5Bpt_id%5D=2&s%5Barea_type%5D=on&s%5Badvanced%5D=1

ringadingding

Yeah I've been watching them, and myrent too.
I'm budgeting for 1600, and if it's less it's less.
I'd be nervous of finding a place, moving over, making it nice and the landlord increases the rent.

It's a different set up here, you basically rent a completely empty apartment, and supply your own furniture, often your own kitchen & bathroom too.
So we literally have everything except for floors and walls.
So an unfurnished place is obviously ideal.

Thanks for every bodies input, appreciated

ProudDUB

How long are you planning on renting for? Will it be a long term thing, or just until you look around for something to buy? If you sigh a 12 month lease, the rent will be locked in for the period of the lease. The landlord can not put the rent up on a whim.

Not sure what you mean by make it nice. Most rented properties are rented as is and the tenant does not have a free reign to put his own stamp on the place or make changes to it, other than the basic surface stuff like rugs and picture on the wall and what not. You will have your work cut out for you finding somewhere unfurnished. It is not impossible, but you will severely limit your pick of properties to choose from, if you insist on it being unfurnished.

ringadingding

Tell me about it, after 6 years here, we just aquired a full lot of furniture, so it will really have to be unfurnished, but they're few & far between.

Ideally a long term let, or until we can raise a deposit to buy, but until the new business takes off, that's a good long while away.

cerastes

ringadingding wrote: »

Oh don't get me wrong, I know Vienna Functions brilliantly, the taxation is the same as Dublin, but you get a whole lot more for your taxes.

I'm actually very happy here, but my wife yearns for Dublin, she's immersed into the austrian way of life, which is very negative and cold.
I had a great opportunity to return to Dublin and we're weighing up the pros / cons.

My career will always be stronger in Dublin, as I have a name here, whereas in Vienna it's a battle. I know I'll never achieve my full potential in Vienna.

I hope I don't cause offense by saying that I would much rather raise my children in Vienna than in Dublin.
We're conpletrly on the fence to be honest!

Having not lived or visited Vienna, but always wanted to visit Austria, maybe I have a coloured view, cant imagine why she would yearn for here??
Its negative here for sure, can it be that bad there?
No offence, cant imagine anyone would be.
Im probably here too long.

One thing is for sure, its crazy and stupid that you cant rent an unfurnished property in the main, the legalities mean even unfixed appliances have to be supplied down to a microwave. That will be defended in some parts by tenants not wanting to fork out for their own stuff who treat rented stuff poorly but complain about it and landlords who dont want to be repetitively or intermittantly doing anything like moving or storing stuff.

ringadingding

I guess we miss being amongst our own