Living in Ireland

Cost of Living in Ireland

It shouldn’t be surprising that living in Ireland is considerably less costly than it is in UK. The difference in prices is especially visible in rent and property prices. For instance – buying an apartment in the centre of London will cost you £16000 per square meter, same kind of apartment in Dublin you can buy for £4000 per square meter.

Buying a House in Ireland

There are no restrictions to buying a house in Ireland. The process is similar to that in the UK, so the steps to follow are usually:

1. Find a property;
2. Make an offer — this is not binding;
3. Find a solicitor;
4. Arrange for a survey if you wish;
5. Your solicitor drafts the deed of conveyance and sends it to the seller’s solicitor for  approval. The seller’s solicitor draws up the contract of sale, which has to be approved by yourself and your solicitor. Then you can sign the contract and pay a deposit (10%).
6. The conveyance usually takes 6-8 weeks. You now pay the stamp duty and the sale is registered at the land registry office — which can take up to 6 months.

Your costs will come to between 4.5 and 14.5% of the purchase price. The range of prices figures between £1.2 million for a house of character with 5 or 6 bedrooms, to around £40 000 for a studio apartment. You will need an Irish bank account to transfer funds, and because the transaction will be in euro, the currency rates will affect you. Buying a house usually costs more than you expect, so it is good to factor in some extra money.

Working in Ireland

Because of The European Free Movement of Workers agreement you can live and work in Ireland without a visa or work permit.

There are a number of tools for finding employment in Ireland. Most notably Foras, which is the Irish National Training and Employment Authority. It has employment centres throughout Ireland where help can be sought with job seeking, career advice and training.

Other ways of finding job

• local and national newspapers where job vacancies are listed in the classified jobs section;
• recruitment agencies, found on many main streets, or by searching online;
• notices on shop windows, libraries, supermarkets and community centres;
• directly on company websites;
• contacts through friends, family and the local community.

One useful website is Recruit Ireland

Irish people aren’t traditionally entrepreneurial and there isn’t an ingrained enterprise culture. Most people work nine to five for a large company. Being self-employed, which often involves working up to 18 hours a day, isn’t seen as an attractive proposition. However, a more entrepreneurial attitude is spreading throughout the country, and Ireland is now ranked second in the EU for entrepreneurial activity. Always obtain professional advice before deciding whether to operate as a sole trader or form a company in Ireland, as it has far-reaching social security, tax and other consequences.

Other articles about living in Ireland

• Moving to Ireland
• Customs
• Health Care
• Driving
• Social Life
• Prices of Removals to Ireland