It’s no surprise that Dublin is a top destination for travelers thanks to its vibrancy, nightlife, and fun tourist attractions. However, Dublin is fairly expensive (especially food and alcohol) so many budget travelers only spend a few days here before exploring the rest of Ireland. In this Dublin price guide, we’ll outline the estimated travel expenses for food, accommodation, attractions, alcohol, and other things that you’ll experience to help you budget your visit to Dublin.
This article is part of our City Price Guide Series — Click here to see all our city price guides.
Average Daily Cost To Visit Dublin
For budget-minded travelers, it costs around €65-€100/day to visit Dublin. These prices are based on what you’ll need to visit the city comfortably as a budget traveler.
If you want to upgrade your accommodation, you should add another €90-€120/night depending on where you stay. These prices also don’t include things like big nights out at the bar/pub, club entry fees, souvenir/clothing shopping, tours, random purchases, nicer food, etc. Don’t forget to budget extra for those “non-essentials.”
Daily Cost of Budget Travel in Dublin: €94 ($100 USD)
- Attractions: €15 (one paid attraction + any free sights)
- Food: €33
- Breakfast: €5
- Lunch: €8
- Dinner: €16
- Treat (dessert/beer/wine): €4
- Transportation: €3
- Accommodation (hostel): €45
Daily Cost of Frugal Travel in Dublin: €60 ($65 USD)
- Attractions: €8 (free walking tour + visit one of the free sights)
- Food: €22
- Breakfast: $2 (pastry)
- Lunch: €7 (ethnic street food, takeaway shop fare, or similar)
- Dinner: €12(make your own meal in the hostel or grab something cheap)
- Beer: €2 (chill out at the park and have a cold one)
- Transportation: €0 (explore by foot)
- Accommodation (cheap hostel bed): €28
Dublin Attraction and Museum Prices
Dublin, while small, does have a number of attractions that will easily fill up a few days worth of sightseeing. Most of the attractions are reasonably priced, but the Guinness, Jameson, and Whiskey Museum tours will take a big chunk out of your drinking budget.
Note: The Dublin Pass covers many of Dublin’s top sights below so you might want to check it out. Learn more on our Dublin Pass Review.
- National Gallery of Ireland: Free
- Kilmainham Gaol: €8
- Dublin Castle: €8 (guided tour, grounds are free)
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral: €9
- Irish Whiskey Museum: €22-€35 (includes tasting)
- Guinness Storehouse: €22-€30 (includes a pint of Guinness)
- Old Jameson Distillery: €25
- Walking tours: Free (but you should tip the guides) — €10-€30+ (for paid tours)
- Bike tour: €20+
Dublin Food Prices
Dublin isn’t exactly cheap when it comes to food and dining out. Most things in the center of town are going to cost a premium, so you’ll want to avoid these tourist areas as they’re filled with overpriced restaurants. Do a bit of research online before you head out to ensure you get a quality meal at a good price (they do exist).
Read more of our strategies for Eating and Drinking in Europe on a Budget.
Budget Breakfast Prices in Dublin: €5–€12
- Many hostels will offer a free simple breakfast that normally consists of cereal, bread/croissant, and maybe milk, coffee, tea, or juice (some hostels will offer more and some less).
- Another budget option is to get a breakfast roll from a convenience store (Centra, Spar, Mace). It usually consists of a baguette filled with bacon, sausage, hash browns, egg, and tomato. Expect to pay €4-€7.
- There are plenty of places serving up a hearty full Irish breakfast: €9-€15+
Budget-Friendly Breakfast Places in Dublin:
- Beanhive: A range of breakfast and coffee options — including a full Irish fry-up breakfast for under €10.
- Tang Cafe: A cute little breakfast place with plenty of healthy breakfast dishes.
- Mochaland Cafe: Another place to get a solid Irish breakfast.
- The Rolling Donut: Fancy doughnuts.
- Joy of Cha: A cute tea shop with lots of tea, coffee, quiche, pastries, and full breakfast options.
Budget Lunch Prices in Dublin: €8-€16
- Super budget travelers can make a super cheap lunch of bread, deli meat, cheese, and fruit from any grocery store for a few euros. The convenience stores mentioned above also offer affordable lunch options for €4-€7.
- A sandwich at a pub will cost around €5-€9.
- Quality fish and chips cost around €12-€15.
- A cheap takeaway meal (like a kebab with fries) will cost about €7-€10.
Budget Dinner Prices in Dublin: €10-€20
- Dublin has a lot of wonderful pubs where you can find some great food at good prices, even in the city center. Prices range from €7-€12 for a sandwich or €12-€19 for the main course.
- You should also be able to find dinner at a restaurant in a less touristy part of town for around €15-€24.
- Many of the options from the Budget Lunch section above also apply to dinner.
Budget-Friendly Lunch and Dinner Places:
- Beshoff Bros: A solid fish and chips shop.
- Devitt’s Pub: Traditional pub grub at good prices.
- Umi Falafel: Basic Lebanese joint with multiple locations that serves some of the best falafel in Dublin and the prices are great.
- Bunsen: Arguably the best burger and fries in Dublin.
- Pho Viet: Tasty Pho and other Vietmanses dishes.
- Boojum: Feeling like a burrito? Boojum has got you covered.
- Sano Pizza: A solid pizza place.
- Neon Asian Street Food: A nice little noodle place serving up dishes is paper cartons so it’s great for takeaway or eating in.
Drinks and Alcohol Prices in Dublin
- A pint of standard beer out: €4-€7
- Pint of beer from a grocery store: €2.50
- Bottle of (drinkable) wine from the grocery store: €10
- Cup of coffee: €2.50-€4
Dublin Transportation Prices
Dublin has a large bus network and a few tram lines (LUAS) that will help you get around the city. A Leap Card will work on both buses and trams but all other tickets need to be purchased separately. That said, Dublin is a small city so you might not find yourself using public transportation very often.
The TFI 90 Minute fare now applies to journeys made on Dublin Bus, Luas, and most DART, commuter rail (zones 1 to 4 in the Short Hop Zone), and Go-Ahead Ireland services in Dublin. Visit the Official Ireland Transportation Website for more info.
Adult Leap | Child Leap | |
Short Fare | €1.30 | €0.65 |
TFI 90-Minute Fare | €2.00 | €0.65 |
Zone | Adult Cash Fare | Child Cash Fare |
---|---|---|
1 | €1.70 | €0.80 |
2 | €2.20 | €0.80 |
3 | €2.50 | €0.80 |
4 | €2.50 | €1.00 |
5-8 | €2.60 | €1.00 |
- Bus (Airlink Express/747) from airport to city: €7 one way, €12 round trip
- Taxi from airport to city: €20-€35
Dublin Hostel, Hotel, & Vacation Apartment Prices
Dublin’s accommodation prices can get expensive. Hostels and hotels seem to raise their prices on the weekend because Dublin is a popular weekend travel destination.
Hostel Prices in Dublin: €35-€65/night
You should budget about €43/night per person for a decent hostel in Dublin—although many hostels raise their prices on the weekend. Remember, these prices are for a bed in a shared dorm room. Expect to pay €90-€150+ if you want a private room. See our list of the Best Hostels in Dublin.
We book our hostels through Hostelworld because they have the best selection.
Budget Hotel Prices in Dublin: €150-€200/night
Expect to pay around €130-€180/night for a budget hotel in central Dublin. The cheapest hotels are away from the city center so be aware because you may not want to travel such a long distance each day.
We suggest checking out Booking.com to see hotel prices for your dates since they’re always changing.
Rental Apartment Prices in Dublin: €120-€200+/night
Dublin has a decent amount of rental apartments throughout the city. They can be a good option for large groups or travelers who want a little more space (and a kitchen). On the other hand, you may also have to deal with inconvenient check-in processes and things like extra cleaning fees and service charges. For short stays, we prefer hotels/hostels but rental apartments can be a nice option for longer stays. Airbnb is always popular but you can sometimes find cheaper/better options on our list of Airbnb Alternatives.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COST TO VISIT EUROPE
Check out our guide on How Much It Costs To Backpack Europe to learn more about budgeting your entire trip (including many more city price guides).
We also have plenty more Dublin Travel Advice — like How To Travel Dubin On A Budget, Best Hostels in Dublin, and our Dublin Pass Review.
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