Knowing the figures behind the average cost of living in any country is crucial to have a better idea of what your monthly expenses will look like. 

So if you’re trying to figure out whether it’s cheaper to live in Ireland or Scotland, you’ve come to the right place.

In this comprehensive article, we’ve jotted down a few important expenses that’ll help you determine which country best suits your budget.

Is it cheaper to live in Ireland or Scotland?

Scotland is more affordable because it has a lower cost of living. You’ll be able to save more on housing and consumer goods.

While there are cities in Scotland that are more expensive than others, Ireland’s cost of living is still nearly 14% higher than the rest of the UK.

For a quick glance at all the financial categories we took into consideration, we’ve prepared a comprehensive summary table of each winner. 

Don’t worry as we’ll get into more detail as we go along.

Average Cost of Living

In a nutshell, the average cost of living is how much money someone will need to be able to afford several important expenses to maintain a particular kind of lifestyle.

More often than not, the expenses included as factors to determine a location’s average cost of living are:

• Housing or rent
• Food
• Healthcare
• Education
• Transportation

A comparison between both countries’ capitals showed that Ireland’s capital, Dublin, was slightly more expensive than that of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh.

Compared to the rest of the UK, the cost of living in Ireland is about 14% higher as per Provident Personal Credit’s 2018 study. In recent years, these figures haven’t drastically changed.

According to the CIA Landlord Insurance, Dublin ranked 7th least viable city to reside in worldwide. 

On the bright side, Glasgow ranked 4th most financially viable city to live in the UK. On the other side of the spectrum, Edinburgh ranked 6th least financially viable.

Similarly, Dublin is also one of the most expensive cities for international employees according to the latest international research on the 227 of the world’s costliest cities.

The Mercer Cost of Living Survey 2022 revealed that Dublin had the 49th most expensive city to live in.

Nevertheless, Edinburgh didn’t trail too far behind placing 66th, followed by Glasgow at 86th and Aberdeen at 93rd, both in Scotland. Ireland made another comeback with Belfast ranking 121st.

With that in mind, you can expect several expenses such as food, housing, and education to be significantly more expensive in the above listed cities. 

To give you a better idea of how different the Irish and Scottish average cost of living is, we’ve prepared a comprehensive comparative table below:

All said, you can expect to spend more in Ireland as far as housing, groceries, and consumer goods, among others, are concerned.

Overall, it’s important to keep in mind that these figures are simply ballpark estimates. The total cost of your expenses will depend on your area of residence, spending behaviour, and lifestyle.

Public Healthcare

Scotland and Ireland have private and public healthcare options. Hence, you can opt for whichever services best suit your preferences.

In Scotland, their primary public healthcare provider is National Health Service or NHS Scotland. On the other hand, Ireland’s is handled by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

For both countries, residents are entitled to receive funded healthcare, either completely or at a reduced cost, from their respective public health systems. 

This liberty is also often extended to visitors and nationals of other UK countries.

Similarly, both countries highly encourage their residents to apply for medical cards to ensure access to medical coverage.

Here’s a table containing average prices of commonly sought medical services:

Keep in mind that the cost of these medical services may vary on the duration of your appointment and expertise of your practitioner, among other factors.

Did You Know? Prescriptions are completely free in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales regardless of your economic status and what age group you’re part of.

Rent

Despite rent being a predictable expense, it’s still important to know what your housing expense will look like for you to be able to plan your finances accordingly.

Whether you plan on living in a humble tenement or a more lavish flat, there’s surely a place in both Ireland and Scotland that will suit your budget and living space needs.

Despite this, the average cost of housing will depend on which city you’ll be living in and your proximity to the city centre. 

Here’s a comparative ranking of the least and most expensive cities to rent a flat in Scotland and Ireland respectively as of 2020.

If you’re looking to rent a flat in either Scotland or Ireland’s capitals, here’s a comparative table of what the monthly rent would look like according to Numbeo:

If renting isn’t your cup of tea and you’d rather purchase a flat, we’ve jotted down the average price per square metre according to Numbeo:

Overall, whether you’re looking to rent or purchase a flat, the average costs are more expensive in Dublin regardless of its proximity to the city centre.

Education

As they say, “you can’t put a price on education”. Even then, it’s no surprise that the cost of schooling can leave quite a large hole in your wallet.

Public and Private Education

Both Ireland and Scotland have several private and public schooling options for students and their parents.

Private schooling is, as its name suggests, an autonomous educational institution that is privately funded typically through tuition fees, private grants, and donations, among others.

Attending pupils will be required to cover the costs of their own tuition fees. Nevertheless, several private schools in Scotland and Ireland have scholarship programmes to help lessen the costs.

On the other hand, public schools are government or state administered and funded. Funds are typically sourced through donations and a portion of taxes.

Scottish and Irish Education Educational Levels

Scottish and Irish educational levels differ quite a bit. Knowing how long mandatory schooling is will help give you a better idea of how much schooling will cost before university.

The main differences between the Scottish and Irish educational levels is that Scotland doesn’t require its students to pursue Secondary 5 and Secondary 6.

It isn’t compulsory for pupils to undertake these Secondary School levels. A student may opt to stay in secondary school for further university preparations.

Preparing for university includes taking Higher qualifications, a requirement for their applications.

Students can also choose to take with Advanced Highers, which is equivalent to a first year of university studies, qualifying the student to enter the following year.

Otherwise, students who don’t choose to continue Secondary School usually opt to undertake vocational degrees instead.

During this period, the Irish have what’s called the Transition Year where students are given an opportunity to take on work experience before their final years in Secondary School.

Scottish Higher Education

In comparison to the rest of the UK, Scotland has one of the most expensive universities. Despite several universities and colleges deciding to cap their tuition fees, they’re still quite high-priced.

The good news is that university or college is free of charge if you’re a Scottish citizen. Luckily, this liberty extends to pupils from other EU countries.

However, this only covers students undertaking their first degree. Say, if you’ll be undertaking your first Bachelor’s degree or first Scottish Master’s degree. 

This is made possible because of the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). They’ll be responsible for taking care of the direct fees of all “home” students. 

If you’re a student coming from other countries within the UK such as England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you’re a part of the “rest of the UK” or “RUK” category.

Here, your tuition fee will be a bit more costly in comparison to home students. Even so, the fees of postgraduate studies are nearly the same.

If you’re an international student, you can expect to have the most expensive fees. Inclusions often consider accommodations or lodging and international student fees, among others.

Irish Higher Education

Similarly, undergraduate or Bachelor’s degrees are free of charge if you’re an Irish citizen. This liberty is also extended to those from other EU/EEA countries along with Switzerland.

Like Scotland, this initiative only covers students undertaking their first degree. Say, their first undergraduate or Master’s degree. 

It’s also important to note that not all public universities offer free undergraduate courses. Hence, it’s vital that you double-check the official programmes offered by your preferred university and your eligibility.

The “free fees initiative” is covered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). 

For students whose nationalities aren’t a part of the EU or EEA, tuition fees are a tad more expensive. Nevertheless, there are several scholarship programmes that can help bring the costs down. 

More often than not, nationality, course requirements, and immigration status are one of the criterias for eligibility.

Non-EU or EEA citizens can also expect to pay a student contribution fee of maximum €3,000 yearly. While the overall fee varies depending on the university, these typically cover support for clubs, student services, and examination entries, among others.

Food

When it comes to food, both countries share a common heritage dating back centuries. 

Whether you plan to eat out or make a meal from items you’ve purchased at the local grocery, food in Ireland’s capital, Dublin, is just slightly higher than in Edinburgh.

To give you a better idea of the cost of grocery items are in Scotland and Ireland, here’s a sample grocery list for items from both capitals based on data from Numbeo: 

If you’d like to treat yourself to a meal at a nearby restaurant or pub, here’s what the average prices are according to Numbeo: 

All said, these prices may still vary depending on where you choose to dine. Nevertheless, Scotland is typically the most affordable option between the two.

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