Before I left for Ireland, I detailed how I was budgeting for a month in the country. I received tips and insight from others who had traveled throughout Ireland. I thought I knew what to expect money-wise. However, you really don’t know until you travel what will be a surprise expense and what won’t be. To help others planning a trip to Ireland, here are a few surprises I found about the country.
Food prices are astronomical
As a solo traveler, I figured I wouldn’t be spending that much on food as in Italy, I could always find a pizza for 5 euros or a plate of pasta for 7 euros. I had budgeted $25 per day for 28 days. That comes out to $700 in total. For some, $25 per day either sounds like too much or too little. I stayed in bed and breakfasts and hotels. In case you don’t know, Irish breakfasts are huge. I would eat a giant breakfast everyday, as it was included in my room rate. Those breakfasts were more like two meals for me, so I reasoned I would have more than enough money budgeted for dinner. While Ireland may have the cheapest hotel rates in Europe right now, food prices do not match the struggling economy. Irish news commentary programs also had the same concerns I did.
It was almost impossible to find pubs and restaurants with main dishes under 15 euros. Pints would run from 4 euros to 6 euros. Even in the small towns I stayed in, the food prices were not cheap. Occasionally I would go to the grocery store to pick up food I could just put together, sandwiches, etc. Even buying food at the grocery store proved expensive. Bread, cheese, sandwich meat, chocolate and a drink would usually amount to 15 euros. If you are planning on visiting Ireland, expect food prices to be high. Even just eating out once a day broke my budget. If I didn’t book accommodations with breakfast, I probably would have gone well over my budget for the entire 28 days. Ireland, get your act together. Fish and chips shouldn’t be 20 euros.
Sightseeing adds up in Ireland
A few euros here, a few pounds there, sightseeing really adds up in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Some attractions were not worth the steep 6 euro entrance fee and I would only find this out after paying for it. I originally budgeted $10 per day for sights, figuring some days I would be saving those euros. While I came in under budget on sightseeing expenses, I realized I could have saved even more. If you are planning on doing loads of sightseeing in Ireland, it is worth it to pick up heritage and national trust cards. The Heritage Card in Ireland guarantees free admission to all fee-paying State managed OPW Heritage Sites located throughout the country for one year. This costs 21 euros for an adult. If you want to look up what landmarks and attractions are covered, Heritage Ireland has a list on their website.
Accommodations are pricey for solo travelers
Trying to step outside my comfort zone, I would look up hostel prices for a single person. If I wanted a private room, the rates were often the same as bed and breakfasts and hotels. I know the couchsurfers will jump in here and tell me I could have saved so much by couchsurfing. That is just not for me so I tried to make the accommodations as cheap as possible. As I was traveling in the low season, prices were half what they normally are. Also, due to the recession in Ireland, 4 star hotels were often running specials where their rates were cheaper than bed and breakfasts. A bed and breakfast for a single person averaged 40 euros per night.
With that said, accommodations are still costly in Ireland, especially if you are traveling solo. If you travel in spring and summer, the rates will be double. However, I reasoned I was also paying for a meal with my room rate, and thus cutting back on food expenses. Another way to save on accommodations in Ireland, especially in the low season, is to not book in advance. Many hotels and bed and breakfasts run last minute specials just to try and fill rooms. I noticed some bed and breakfasts I booked a month or so in advance would have been 10 euros cheaper if I booked two or three nights before I was set to arrive.
Ireland has Internet down
Every single place I stayed offered WiFi and for free. With the exception of a few places with spotty WiFi, I never had to pay for Internet. Now, this is an area that is not always important to some people. However, I needed Internet for work. Originally I bought an Internet stick in Ireland, setting me back $60. When I realized all of my accommodations offered Internet, I returned the Internet card and saved the cash. Compared to some parts of the world, especially in Italy, I was really surprised how in touch Ireland was with keeping travelers connected and for free. Even the smallest of B&Bs offered free WiFi. This is an area that saved me money. If you are hesitant to put down 40 euros at a bed and breakfast in Ireland, consider that you are getting a bed, meal and free Internet out of the deal.
Have you traveled throughout Ireland? What surprised you about your travel budget in the country?
Good information, as I was curious how the Ireland budget panned out. I haven’t been yet but hope to go. It’s a bummer that food prices are so steep though! Is the food in the grocery store pricey as well?
Yes, grocery store prices were expensive. I’m not sure if you saw that paragraph in this post, but I would buy bread, cheese, meat, a drink and chocolate at the grocery store some nights for dinner. It was usually 10 to 15 euros so still pricey. So ridiculous!
Wow! The food prices are scary — and I’m used to Rome’s prices. I can get a pretty nice meal for 20 euro. Budgeting is always iffy, isn’t it? Planning is good, but there’s always things unexpected. Glad you had a nice time overall and got to experience your first offical solo adventure.
Perhaps it is just my opinion, but Irish food is not the best. And when you are paying so much for mediocre food, it can be even more frustrating. Yes, budgeting can be a gamble. I would say the food prices though were the biggest surprise.
This is so helpful for my summer in Dublin! Did you get much back from the VAT taxes that Ireland does when you leave the country? I have heard that you can ask places for a VAT receipt and you can get money back from the taxes.
Glad to hear this will be helpful for your summer in Dublin. Look out for early bird specials too, usually from 5 to 7 in restaurants. Food is often cheaper earlier. I don’t have much advice in regards to the VAT taxes, but definitely ask. I had one shop I bought perfume from give me the card, but sadly I ran out of time at the airport to get the money back.
Great deals on the wifi and attractions! Room prices didn’t seem that bed at a B&B, esp for a private. However, the food cost is outrageous!
This is good information, and I can completely relate with you about the internet in Italy. Good to know that Ireland is for free. 20 euros for fish n’ chips? crazy….
Really great info, Suzy. I only traveled in Ireland as part of a tour, so I’m not sure what the individual expenses added up to be. All of my accommodation, transport (including a flight from Boston), some sightseeing, and even a handful of meals were included in the price of the tour.
But I did quickly notice the price of food and drinks. I was amazed that people were paying 5 euros for a pint of Guinness! Crazy.
Dang, that’s some pricey food. But good to know there’s WiFi!
Very interesting wrap up. I haven’t been to Ireland, but it’s at the top of my list. I had no idea that food would be so expensive.
Thanks for the heads up:) I will bring with me canned goods if ever I will go visit Ireland, kidding! Well, I guess the rate of accommodation balanced out the price of the food.
i strongly hope to visit ireland soon! and if it would be in a budget… well, it would be the top!
The lodging doesn’t sound bad for two people, unless the 40 Euro price is only for one person. I can’t imagine paying that much for food for a month, though.
I know Christy. I budgeted far more than I thought I would spend, in hopes I would save money. Sadly, the food prices are just outrageous. It makes no sense, especially with such a struggling economy.
Yeah – vacationing in Ireland is not cheap. The food you get in pubs is super expensive! We lived in Killala for 2 1/2 years and where happy to leave for Valencia, Spain! Sun and good cheap food 😉
Great advice…I am planning to get to Ireland in the future, so I will hang on to this info! 😉
In addition to the early-bird specials, I also found indian food or other ethnic variants were cheaper than pub fare. Also, Aldi’s tended to be cheaper than Tesco’s or local purveyors of food in Ireland
We went to Ireland a couple of years ago and we were SHOCKED by the food prices. We lived in London at the time, so we traveled with British Pounds, which are usually at a good rate to the Euro, but even with Pounds everything was so pricey. We ended up paying 12 Euros for a veggie sandwich in some places, and also didn’t find any (veggie) meals under 13-14 Euros.
We would love to go back to Ireland and see more, renting a car, like you did 🙂
I know! There are hardly any vegetarian options in Ireland, lots of meat and potatoes. Looks like the prices haven’t gone down at all since you guys visited.
I wish I’d known you were going, I’d have given you some tips.
Last time we were in Ireland, we spent most of the time in a rental cottage or with friends. Lodging prices were a little steep. Interestingly, I looked at a place we stayed in- last minute- and there prices are not half what we paid three years ago when the economy was thriving.
Restaurants and pubs are pricey, but my favorite pub thing is a bowl of that ubiquitous Irish vegetable soup and that’s always affordable. Steve happened to pack about 5 pounds of gorp and that was our lunch many days out in the country-side with a little bread and cheese. I love their brown-bread. Having a kitchen for our dinners definitely saved us a lot of money. We shopped at the butcher and the fish-monger and some at a few small groceries. At that time prices were not that notable, but food is going up all over. I get constant shock when I go into the market in Santa Fe. When we travel,the minimum I figure is $50pp per day and I that’s without going to anything the least bit upscale. There is, by the way, surprisingly good food in Irish restaurants and markets and the food scene has really evolved.
Re: admission prices. In three trips to Ireland, I have gone to a handful of places where you have to pay. We seek out ancient sites that are there and do not cost to get in. The challenge is finding them. Some are on private land. Most folks don’t mind you being on their land as long as you close the gates. We did think about taking a bus tour of Dublin, but the high cost dissuaded us. One interesting thing- the Gallarus Oratory on the Dingle Peninsula seems like you have to pay to get it. A landowner has set up a visitors center. But, if you continue up the lane there’s parking and you walk in. He has figured out a way to make money. Someone we met let us in on the secret. A few Euro saved. There are probably other places like that. The most we’ve paid for admissions is about 2 Euros.
It’s a beautiful country and there are ways to see it on a budget.
For me the big problem are the rental car rates- and even if the rates are good. Check what the deductibles are- most US credit cards do NOT cover insurance in Ireland.
I got carried away, but I always do when Ireland is involved.
Yes, vacation rentals don’t really make sense if you are traveling solo. I have rented apartments in Italy before for months at a time, so I wanted to do something different in terms of lodging.
Those Irish stews and vegetable soups you love have skyrocketed in price. Believe me. I tried to find cheaper food options. I ordered a soup with brown bread on several occasions. It was ALWAYS 10 to 15 euros. If you read up on Irish food prices, they are some of the highest in Europe.
I went to several historic sites in Dingle as well. It’s such a magical area.
In terms of the rental car insurance, if your credit card doesn’t offer it, you should go with a third party. I rented a car and bought insurance separate, not at the counter, but online before I left. It was $80 for the year. If you ever need the site, let me know.
My husband and I are heading over in June. A week in Ireland and then two weeks in Scotland and England. Any tips?
As a native, I know all the ways to eat cheaply when travelling in Ireland! There is a huge difference between different shops (grocery stores) in Ireland. If you buy at a Spar or Centra then you are asking for high prices. The places to buy (in order) are: Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Dunnes Stores, the rest. Always buy in a big town where you can get these shops (small towns only have expensive shops).
when you are in the shops, don’t buy small sized anything, it is much more expensive relatively than large sized anything. Only buy stuff that will last a while. If you can, compare prices between loose fruit and vegetables and packaged. If possible buy nothing packaged, you will pay more for it than loose at the deli counter.
If there is a market stall in the town, it will ALWAYS be cheaper for fruit etc. than the supermarket. Dairy produce and meat is relatively cheap in Ireland (so long as you have a fridge to store it in). Don’t buy sliced cheese – it is about 4 times the price of a block of cheese by weight (same goes for sliced, packed ham etc). buy a whole chicken, not chicken breasts, it is much cheaper.
Stay in hostels (there are loads of them and they are very good quality and have double and twin rooms) where you can store and cook your own food. Many also have a barbeque.
Bring spices with you from home(they are light, and you won’t need much – no point in buying loads of them you won’t need all of it, and they are pricy in Ireland)
Buy your drink in the supermarket (€15 for 12 bottles of beer, as against €4-5 per bottle in the pub).
Stay away from touristy places for your accommodation and meals. Here is an example of two places 5 miles apart (one is by the sea and very touristy with no local community, the other is 5 miles inland, and a thriving local community):
Doolin: dinner €18, pint Guinness €4.50, B&B €35 = €57.50
Kilfenora: dinner €12, pint Guinness €3.50, B&B €25 (hostel €20)= €35.50
If you are staying in a hostel, here is an example of the cost of home cooked meals for 2 days:
1 chicken €6 will feed 2 people for 3 meals (stir fry, stew, barbeque, soup, sandwiches)
Tin tomatoes €0.60
Onions: €1.5 per kilo
Potatoes: €0.50 per kilo
Mushrooms: €4 per kilo
mayo: €1.50 per jar
rice: €2 per kilo
cheese: €3 per block
butter: €1.50 per block
Approx €20 for 6 meals
Then you can afford to eat out every second day.
All it takes is planning!
Enjoy your holiday in Ireland
Janet