Survey shows Dublin is fourth most expensive city in the EU

Dublin is the fourth most expensive city in the EU, after London, Copenhagen and Milan, according to a new survey.

Dublin is the fourth most expensive city in the EU, after London, Copenhagen and Milan, according to a new survey.

The city has risen seven places in a global cost of living survey and now ranks as 14th most expensive city in the world.

A fast-food hamburger meal is more expensive in Dublin than in all but two of the leading cities, in the latest annual survey compiled by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Meanwhile, Dublin ranked as the fourth most expensive city in which to buy compact discs.

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Tokyo and London are the world's most expensive cities, the survey found, while Asuncion in Paraguay is the cheapest.

South American cities generally offer the best value, but cities in Australia and New Zealand have risen steeply in the rankings as their currencies appreciate against the US dollar.

Three of the five cheapest European cities are in countries that recently acceded to the EU.

The survey covers 144 cities and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items, including housing, food, clothing and household goods.

It put the cost of a hamburger meal at €6.50 in Dublin, compared to €7.20 in the most expensive cities, Amsterdam and Athens. In contrast, the same meal costs only €4.63 in New York, €3.65 in Sydney and €1.93 in Beijing.

A CD costs an average €20 in Dublin, against €22.49 in the most expensive city, Johannesburg. The best bargains here were to be had in Sydney (€15.31), New York (€13.07) and Buenos Aires (€6.86).

The €2.90 you pay for a coffee in Dublin compares to a high of €3.80 in Tokyo and just 89c in Buenos Aires.

Public transport in the Irish capital is more expensive (€1.45 for a bus ride) than in most other capitals; London is the most expensive (€2.23) while Prague (36c) and Warsaw (49c) offer the lowest fares.

Surprisingly, Dublin is one of the cheaper places to rent a two-bedroom luxury apartment. The rent quoted, €1,250 a month, compares to €2,901 in London €2,818 in New York and €3,624 in Tokyo.

With New York as the base city scoring 100 points, Dublin scored 96.9 points. After Tokyo (130.7 points) and London (119), the next most expensive cities were Moscow, Osaka, Hong Kong and Geneva.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.