As an island with a relatively dispersed population, transport costs for goods are higher, and given our small population, markets here are less competitive, which leads to higher prices.
Cost of living in Australia vs Ireland
In general, tuition fees and the Ireland vs. Australia living cost are higher in Australia compared to Ireland. Consumer prices in Australia, including rent, are 1.8% lower than in Ireland. Rent prices in Australia are 18.8% lower than in Ireland.
For most people, a household salary of €100,000 would put a family in the category of “rich”. And if you earned that last year, you were among the top 6.6pc of employees, Revenue figures show. The average gross pay for a PAYE worker nationwide was €42,100 in 2024, while the Dublin average was €49,500.
A 'good' salary in Ireland generally ranges from €50,000 to €70,000 per year. This would allow a single person or small family to live comfortably, especially outside of Dublin.
2. High Cost of Living. Ireland, particularly cities like Dublin, has a high cost of living. Housing is a significant expense, with rental prices for a one-bedroom apartment in Dublin averaging €1,500–€2,000 per month.
The high cost-of-living in Ireland as a driver to leave Irish shores was repeatedly mentioned in our analysis of 48 blogs written by Irish people living all over the world. Housing and healthcare were highlighted, but also the costs of public transport, education and childcare.
Employer criteria
That an employer – employee relationship will exist in that the prospective employee concerned will be employed, salaried and paid directly by the employer. An employment permit will not issue unless at the time of application at least 50% of the employees in a firm are EEA nationals (50:50 rule).
The Living Wage for 2025/26 is €15.40 per hour. This is a €0.65 (4.4%) increase from the 2024/25 rate of €14.75 per hour. The new Living Wage rate is €1.90 above the current National Minimum Wage of €13.50 per hour.
That is about 12 per cent of the total. That is more than double the 206,000 earners in this category in 2020, when they represented 7.5 per cent of total taxpayers. Even as recently as 2022, the total number earning more than €100,000 was just over 236,000. Inflation, of course, is part of this story.
salary 100k jobs
In Ireland, it is only the top 10 per cent who earn €102,000 or more annually, according to Central Statistics Office figures from the end of 2024. Average earnings in Ireland are €50,000. About 1 per cent earn €290,000 or more.
Ireland and Australia have a reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) that entitles visitors from Ireland to Australia to receive medically necessary treatment as public inpatients or outpatients in Australian public hospitals, on the same terms as Australian residents (i.e. free of charge).
Ireland is an open economy (3rd on the Index of Economic Freedom), and ranks first for high-value foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. In the global GDP per capita tables, Ireland ranks 2nd of 192 in the IMF table and 4th of 187 in the World Bank ranking. (2023 est. )
Most In-Demand Jobs in Ireland
The most popular jobs in Ireland in 2026 are automation engineer, sustainability manager, data scientist, compliance officer, software engineer, E-commerce manager, web developer, mortgage underwriter, construction manager, and healthcare assistant.
It has been reported that a pension of €33,600 per year is needed for a “comfortable” retirement in Ireland for a single person. Pension savers are often told to aim for 40% to 50% of their current salary in retirement, as a rule of thumb. However, you should first do some calculations and estimate your desired income.
Unsocial hours are hours worked outside of the standard working hours. If you work unsocial hours you may qualify for an allowance or payment. The types of attendance arrangements where additional payments may apply include: overtime.
The three highest-paid roles are professor, doctor and chief financial officer (CFO), with average salaries of €129,976, €119,139 and €94,492 per year respectively. As well as high pay, many of these positions offer flexible work options such as freelancing, contracting and remote work.
"The ongoing demand in the Ireland talent market means companies will continue to struggle to attract key talent in the current business environment. Talent shortages have now reached record highs with 83% of employers across all sectors and organisational sizes finding the current talent market challenging.
No experience $100,000 jobs
Employees are entitled to; A daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours per 24 hour period. A weekly rest period of 24 consecutive hours per seven days, following a daily rest period. A 15-minute break where more than 4½ hours have been worked.
A 3-month probationary period is a standard trial period for employers to assess a new hire's suitability for a role. Probationary periods may be used for new hires, promotions, poor performance management, and potential terminations.
If you are an Irish or a European citizen, you have an automatic right to live and work in Ireland. If you are not from the European Union or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you will likely need a special employment permit to work in Ireland.