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Dublin
#59 of 124
Europe

Dublin

Ireland

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Dublin compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Dublin is 42% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Dublin compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$119,760
-$153K (-56%) vs San Francisco
Based on 910 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$77,461
-$95K (-55%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 35%

Community Insights

New

Dublin presents a stark high-career, low-lifestyle trade-off for software engineers. As a Tier 1 Tech Hub, it offers salaries and resume prestige that rival London and Zurich, making it an incredible accelerator for your career. However, the quality of daily life is heavily impacted by a critical housing shortage and visible anti-social behavior. Financially, a high Median SWE Salary is eroded by a 35.3% tax rate and high living costs, leaving many feeling 'cash rich but asset poor.' It is a city of opportunity for the ambitious, but often a temporary stop rather than a forever home.

Resident Sentiment

Cynical but Pragmatic. Most transplants acknowledge that moving to Dublin was a smart career move that opened doors globally, but few express a desire to settle long-term. There is a strong sentiment of frustration regarding the government's handling of housing and safety. Many view their time in Dublin as a transactional 2-5 year stint to build seniority before moving to a cheaper or sunnier location.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Net Income

Middle of the pack

#43

of 124 cities

$77,461/yr

Current value

Community Events

Middle of the pack

#45

of 124 cities

7 events on luma

Current value

Home Affordability

Middle of the pack

#51

of 124 cities

≈7.3 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Dublin compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$7,114 / m²
29% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Dublin to maintain the same standard of living.

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Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
23% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Dublin

HubSpot logo
HubSpot
Google logo
Google
Toast, Inc. logo
Toast, Inc.

The Good

  • Tier 1 Tech Hub: Home to European HQs of Google, Meta, Stripe, LinkedIn, and Amazon, offering prestigious resume-building opportunities.
  • English-Speaking: The only major native English-speaking tech hub in the EU post-Brexit, making integration seamless for international talent.
  • Career Velocity: High density of tech giants allows for rapid job hopping and career progression compared to smaller European markets.
  • Work-Life Balance: Generally better than the US, with 20+ days holiday standard and a culture that respects personal time, even in big tech.
  • Gateway to Europe: Excellent flight connections make weekend trips to the continent easy and affordable.

The Bad

  • Severe Housing Crisis: Consistently cited as the #1 drawback; rents are exploding and supply is "starved," with massive competition for even low-quality flats.
  • Anti-Social Behavior: Frequent complaints about "feral" teen gangs and aggressive behavior in the city center, correlating with a low Safety Index (45.9/100).
  • Gloomy Weather: With a Sunshine Rank of #119/124, the lack of sun and frequent rain (117 days/year) is a major mental health challenge for transplants.
  • High Cost of Living: While salaries are high, the Purchasing Power Rank (#60) is dragged down by rent and world-topping childcare costs.
  • Public Infrastructure: Residents complain about unreliable public transport (Ghost buses) and a strained healthcare system with long waiting lists.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Career Accelerators: Young, ambitious engineers who want Big Tech names (Google, Meta) on their CVs and are willing to house-share to make it happen.

Visa Seekers: Non-EU nationals finding it difficult to enter the US or UK; Dublin tech companies are very willing to sponsor visas.

Skip it if...

Families: The combination of a housing crisis and astronomical childcare costs (often cited as a second mortgage) makes it financially punishing.

Sun Seekers: If you are prone to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), the #119 sunshine ranking and constant grey skies will be a serious struggle.

Savings Maximizers: Those expecting US-level disposable income will be disappointed by the high tax burden and cost of goods.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather3.9/10-55% vs San Francisco
Safety46+16%
Pollution42-15%
Events7-86%
3.9/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
13°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
7°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
1,453h/yr-1609h/yr(-53%)
Hottest Month High
19°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
3°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
117/yr+69/yr(+141%)

Community & Quality

Dublin community pulse

Dublin has 7 Luma events listed.

86% fewer events than San Francisco.

Pollution Score

Middle of the pack

#51

of 124 cities

41.6/100

Current value (lower is better)

Purchasing Power

Middle of the pack

#59

of 124 cities

Comfortable Weather

Middle of the pack

#72

of 124 cities

39/100 weather score

Current value

Safety Index

Bottom 28%

#91

of 124 cities

45.9/100

Current value

Tax Rate

Bottom 28%

#91

of 124 cities

35%

Current value (lower is better)

Cost of Living

Bottom 16%

#106

of 124 cities

69/100

Current value (lower is better)

SWE Affordability
7.3 years
2.7 years longer than San Francisco
Muggy Days
0/yr(same as San Francisco)
Cloud Cover
58%(vs 34% in San Francisco)