How much money does it take to live in Ireland? Is it easy for a foreigner to find a job in this country and which professions are especially in demand? He told us about this, as well as about the peculiarities of the housing market, climate, security, leisure and the Irish Stanislav.
Student visa, Irish accent and attitude towards foreigners
— My name is Stanislav. I am 27 years old. I moved from Sochi came to Ireland a year ago, and I currently live in Dublin. I work as a supervisor in a restaurant. In addition, I do sports, powerlifting, and actively develop my social networks.
Initially, I applied for a visa to the United States twice, but was refused. And only then did I decide to get a student visa to Ireland — I applied for English language courses. They last for six months, plus 2 months are left for you to travel around the country. These courses can be extended three times, that is, it turns out three times for 8 months.
With a student visa, you can work 20 hours a week, but if you really want, you can find an employer who will allocate all 40 hours a week. So, among other things, you can stay in the country by finding an employer who will issue you a work visa during this time.
You can also legalize yourself quite simply if you are an IT specialist, an engineer (no matter what), or if you have extensive experience in catering – specialists of all levels are required in this area, from waiters to chefs and supervisors.
After obtaining a work visa, you will need to work for 2 years in the same company. All this time, both in the case of a student and a work visa, you have a temporary residence permit. You can enter and leave the country with it as many times as you want. After two years of working and living in Ireland, you already have the right to apply for permanent residence, and after another three years you can get an Irish passport.
Irish citizenship becomes more accessible: updated naturalization rules
— I can say that we are very similar in mentality to the Irish. This is especially true for the generation from 50 to 80 years old: they are quite straightforward, they do not go into their pockets for a word, but at the same time they are quite cheerful and kind. People under 40-50 years old, according to my observations, are very polite and friendly, even too much, I would say. They may not think so, but they will behave like that anyway, because they have such a culture.
A very large Spanish-speaking community has formed in Ireland, including a huge Brazilian diaspora. They are well treated, but some do not like them. Rarely, but there are even local protests on this basis.
In general, foreigners are treated positively here, especially if you are from the CIS countries — you will be treated with curiosity. I tried to avoid the Russian-speaking community as much as possible in order to study English more closely.
By the way, the Irish accent is very difficult to understand at first — it took me more than six months to adapt to it. I still don’t understand some people: the fact is that there are a lot of varieties of accents in Ireland and, if someone is more or less easy to understand, then others are almost impossible. Surprisingly, even the Irish themselves do not understand each other because of the huge difference in accent.
It is very, very difficult to find a place to rent.
Prices, taxes and housing tensions
— The standard of living in Ireland is quite good. Even working in the lowest paid position for 40 hours a week, you can earn, save and travel around Europe.The minimum rate here is 12.5 euros per hour.
If you have acquired a profession and work as a specialist, say, a mid-level specialist, then earnings will already start from 20 euros per hour or more. In this case, you will have much more opportunities.
By the way, education in Ireland is quite good, highly appreciated in the world. Many people from the USA come here to study, because education here is much cheaper and at a decent level.
— There is a very tense housing situation in Ireland right now, the demand for rent is simply huge. If you want to shoot something good, it won’t be easy. I’ll tell you by my example: when I first arrived, I lived with a host family from my English courses and immediately started looking for a place to rent. I found it only after 4-5 months of searching.
At prices: you can rent a one-room apartment in the range of 1.5—2 thousand euros, a two-room apartment – 2-2.5 thousand and above. If you share the responsibilities of paying rent with someone, then, accordingly, it will be cheaper. Plus, before renting anything, you will need to pay a deposit – usually in the amount of a monthly rent, but some owners may ask for a double fee.
If you want to buy a property in Ireland, then count on at least 100-150 thousand euros for a “one-bedroom apartment”.
As for the specifics of the market, then you immediately notice the absence of large residential buildings and complexes. It is dominated by houses of the old British type, that is, one-story or two-story houses connected to each other.
I don’t really like this feature, because usually these houses have very old repairs, creaky floors and the like. In addition, in such houses there are two separate taps: one for hot water, the second for cold. That is, to get warm water, you need to plug the washbasin, fill it with water, and then you will have warm water.
In general, all modern residential buildings are located outside the city center, so you can find suitable housing mainly there. Yes, there are also condominiums with good apartments in the center of Dublin, but there are quite a few of them.
It is very expensive to get sick in Ireland.
— Here are some examples of food prices in Ireland:
- Chicken breast — €12 per kg.
- Beef — €10-15 per kg, depending on which part to take.
- Cheese — €5 per 200 gr. Italian parmesan cheese, Grana Padano.
- 1 liter of milk costs €1-2 on average.
Fruits, especially exotic ones, are quite cheap:
- Pineapple — €1-2
- Coconut — €1-2
- Orange 1 kg. — €2-4
- Apples 1kg. — €2-5
It is very expensive to get sick in this country, so it is best to do it as rarely as possible — an appointment with doctors costs between € 50-100. I myself have not come across medicine in Ireland in particular, but I have heard that things are difficult with it: in addition to the high cost, the specialists themselves are also not famous for their qualifications.
It is quite expensive to go to beauty salons. For example, a men’s haircut plus a trim beard will cost about 50 euros if done within the city center.
The payment for cellular communication is 20-25 euros, for the Internet — at least 50 euros per month.
Gasoline costs plus or minus 1.3 euros per liter, bus fare is 2 euros per trip (for students — 1 euro).
That is, let’s take a situation where at least 800 euros is spent on renting an apartment and communal services, 200-300 euros are allocated for food (if you cook at home yourself), plus leisure — at least 100 euros for two for dinner (this is most likely even excluding alcohol).
That is, it turns out that you need around 1,500 euros to just live, 2000-2500 euros to live more or less comfortably and manage to save something, travel, etc. But everything, again, depends on housing. If you rent one separately, you need to earn at least 4-5 thousand euros to ensure acceptable conditions.
Of course, taxes should also be taken into account. If you earn up to 40,000 euros per year, then the tax will be 20%, if more than 40 thousand, then 40% and so on.
By the way, if you came here on any of the visas, it will be quite easy to open a bank account – it will take just a few days. Revolut is considered the most convenient online bank here, but opening an account at local banks is also not a problem.
Drinking culture, safety and natural beauty
— The weather in Ireland is terrible, it can change many times a day: you go out — the sun, after an hour — rain; it is better to carry an umbrella with you always. It is mostly cloudy here, it rains, there is almost never any sun, even in summer. It was difficult to get used to such a climate, since I am from Sochi myself.
— I don’t really like the vibe that prevails in this country. Evening life and drinking culture are very developed here — there are a lot of bars and restaurants. Accordingly, there are a lot of drunk people. Drug addiction is also very widespread here. This is also why you need to beware of local children aged 12-16 from unsuccessful families.
I’ve never had any problems, but in Dublin at night, especially somewhere not in the center, I would not recommend walking. In general, it is considered that it is quite safe to live in Ireland.
— My whole life here revolves around sports: I train people and train myself, I actively conduct social networks, shoot videos and so on. Sometimes I go to different places to have dinner.
In general, in Ireland there is a problem with a set of leisure opportunities — there is, in fact, nowhere to go except bars. You can find some interest sections, but it won’t be easy, and it usually costs a lot.
The main entertainment here remains nature itself, which for me is at the same time the biggest plus of Ireland — it is a very beautiful country in itself. There are many old castles and a huge number of parks. Due to the mountainous terrain, many people go hiking.
In short, it’s nice here, but it’s often very boring.
Author
Yulia Yanukovych Editor-in-Chief
I am responsible for the work of the editorial office. I write expert interviews and guides.
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