Manage Your Cost of Living in Ireland

1. Accommodation

Students who will be looking for accommodation can visit the country before the commencement of their course to look for various housing options around the college, or this all can be done online too which will help you to look for budget accommodation and finally result in maintaining the cost of living in Ireland. Off-campus housing can also be considered as an option if he wants to live independently or even if he is on the waiting list for on-campus housing. This can be done via the Accommodations Department of the university or even via the websites that provide information on the available properties to rent. Here, we have provided a list of various accommodations in Ireland:

2. Food Items

When it comes to buying effectively, supermarkets are considered the best option as they offer the best bargain for most everyday items because they sell their self-owned branded food, which is much more affordable than other already-named brands. For efficient purchasing, look no further than street markets like Moore Street and Camden Street in Dublin providing reasonable value in fruits and vegetables which will help you to reduce the cost of living in Ireland. There are some discount budget stores too, just like Aldi and Lidl that offer lower prices than the supermarkets. Also, students are recommended to learn to cook some easy and simple meals for themselves as this will help in saving huge amounts of bucks spent on takeaways and restaurants. It can be a bit difficult for students to find Indian food ingredients, but the wide variety of Irish food will also make you feel at home.  Here we have mentioned below a list of average price ranges of daily food items:

3. Travel & Public Transportation

Adjusting in Ireland is proportionally convenient for international students given Ireland’s great public transportation systems. This is an important point to consider as you would be living on your own in a foreign land and exploring it. Hence, the cheap and affordable cost of transportation will make your movement around the nation much easier.

4. Health Insurance

According to EU/EEA regulations, international students who are enrolled in a program of study are eligible for free hospital treatments as long as they have Form E.109 with them. You must submit proof of your eligibility from your home country to the Irish health authorities to be considered eligible. To fulfill any enrollment essential and to acquire the relevant papers, you should thus get in touch with the Health Domination in your home country well in the approach to your trip to Ireland. Non-EU students must have their private insurance because they are not eligible for any free off-campus medical care which will be an add-on to your cost of living in Ireland. Please be aware that a high fee is associated with every hospital stay, therefore it is advisable to plan for proper health insurance. When registering with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, non-EU students must produce evidence of thorough medical insurance. Additionally, you have to provide evidence of health insurance while requesting a student visa. Students are strongly encouraged to set up private medical insurance since it ensures that they will have a choice of hospital, physician, and hospital lodging in the event of illness. Note that you must be a resident of Ireland to get health insurance from an Irish health insurance provider.

5. University tuition fees in Ireland

University tuition fees are also considered part of the cost of living in Ireland. The tuition fees depend on various factors like the type of programme you have chosen, whether is it a public or a private university, what sort of course you want to study, etc. And the university tuition fees change every year based on factors mentioned above and others too which affect a student’s cost of living in the country itself. However, keep a note that public universities are costlier (in terms of tuition fees) than private universities or technology institutes in Ireland.

6. Cost of Living in the Different Cities of Ireland

The living expenses in Ireland can range from EUR 3,306 to 3,576 depending on where the student is residing. And keep a note that the closer you look for a property near your university, the higher the charges will be for it. Make a budget for monthly rent which can averagely cost you around EUR 1,400 along with the other monthly expenses. For example, you must keep a minimum of EUR 2,000 every month for food, transport, etc.

7. Money Saving Hacks on Cost of Living in Ireland

The cost of substances in Ireland for Indian students depends on where they apartment, the category of quarters they collect, movement options, and a diversity of other strands. The cost of living in Ireland is high in comparison with India. There are different ways to save money and that is why we are presenting here some of the recommendations on how one can save money and maximize their budget at the same time:

• When it comes to buying effectively, supermarkets are considered the best option as they offer the best bargain for most everyday items because they sell their self-owned branded food, which is much more affordable than other already-named brands.
• For efficient purchasing, look no further than street markets like Moore Street and Camden Street in Dublin providing reasonable value in fruits and vegetables.
• There are some discount budget stores too, just like Aldi and Lidl that offer lower prices than the supermarkets.
• Also, students are recommended to learn to cook some easy and simple meals for themselves as this will help in saving huge amounts of bucks spent on takeaways and restaurants.
• Students can use their Student ID cards as discount vouchers while shopping, eating at restaurants or cafes, buying groceries at the supermarket, watching movies at the cinema, etc.
• Getting a Student Leap Card is considered a very good idea for students who enrolled themselves in an Irish college or university, this card will offer them a variety of discounts, and also traveling on public transport will save them a lot of money.
• The charges of a mobile phone are much higher than the landline charges, especially in the case of international calls, but the pre-pay phones allow you to buy credit in advance, which will eventually help in controlling your average cost of living in Ireland.
• Visitors who are non-EU are allowed to do tax-free shopping on items that they are taking home (especially the ones bought from any department stores), on the condition that those are purchased within the last 2 months of stay. The tax will be refunded to them through a cashback system at the airport only.
• Decrease your cost of living by purchasing second-hand books instead of new ones, and the universities also provide books in their libraries which is also effective as they can take out printouts of important topics.
• Do your research on scholarships and apply for the best one according to your requirements, which will eventually help you in covering your tuition fee and cost of living.
• Apply for a good part-time job to maintain your cost of living in Ireland.
• Prepare a weekly or monthly budget to keep track of your spending.
• Along with a current account, keep a savings account to decrease excess usage of money.
• Change your water and gas connections with the cheap and best quality to reduce the expense of utilities. 

8. Conclusion

If you are thinking of living in Ireland and completing higher education then it is the best opportunity for international students to choose Ireland as their destination for education abroad. Countries like the US or UK have a  high cost of living as compared to the cost of living in Ireland but there is no compromise with the living standard and quality of education. We are preparing for January intakes 2024 for studying in Ireland. Read this blog and get more information about January intakes. You can choose Ireland and it will fit within your budget for study abroad.