City comparison
Cost of living in Zürich vs Dublin
One person needs about €3,790 a month in Zürich and €3,040 in Dublin, rent included — Dublin is 20% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Dublin the way you live in Zürich on €3,000, you need
€2,406/ month net
20% less than today (-€594)
- Zürich today
- Basket €3,790 · left over -€790 (-26%)
- Dublin at the matched salary
- Basket €3,040 · left over -€634 (-26%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 171% over in Dublin (comfortable) vs 237% in Zürich. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇨🇭 Zürich
Highest salaries anywhere, and a grocery bill that will still shock you.
Monthly budget: €3,790
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇮🇪 Dublin
Big-tech salaries almost entirely absorbed by a chronic housing shortage.
Monthly budget: €3,040
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Zürich or Dublin?
On salary, Zürich pays more for tech roles (€9,000 versus €5,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €5,210 in Zürich at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €2,600 in Zürich against €2,100 in Dublin. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Zürich at 66 and Dublin at 63 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.