City comparison
Berlin vs Dublin: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Berlin is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €850 a month less than Dublin, mostly because of rent. Dublin has the milder winter (about 8°C vs 4°C average highs in Dec to Feb). They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too: see below.
Choose Berlin for
- Affordability
- Public transport
- Remote-work scene
- Culture
- Lower living costs
Choose Dublin for
- Flights home
- English-friendliness
- Nature & green space
- Beach life
Berlin vs Dublin at a glance
| Berlin | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | Ireland |
| Single budget / month | €2,400 | €3,250 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,550 | €4,600 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,250 | €2,000 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 4°C / 39°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 24°C / 76°F | 19°C / 66°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,759 | 1,470 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | No | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Berlin or Dublin?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,400 a month for one person in Berlin and €3,250 in Dublin, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,550 vs €4,600, and for a family of four €4,800 vs €5,800.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,250 in Berlin against €2,000 in Dublin, while a monthly transit pass costs €63 vs €100. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 4°C (39°F) in Berlin and 8°C (47°F) in Dublin. In summer it’s roughly 24°C vs 19°C. Berlin gets about 1,759 hours of sunshine a year and Dublin about 1,470.
1,759 hours of sunshine a year · 532 mm of rain a year · Source: DWD 1991-2020 normals (Berlin station), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°C / 38°F | -2°C / 28°F |
| Feb | 5°C / 41°F | -2°C / 29°F |
| Mar | 9°C / 48°F | 0°C / 33°F |
| Apr | 15°C / 59°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| May | 20°C / 67°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Jun | 23°C / 73°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 77°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Aug | 25°C / 77°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Sep | 20°C / 68°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Oct | 14°C / 57°F | 6°C / 42°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 46°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Dec | 4°C / 39°F | -1°C / 30°F |
1,470 hours of sunshine a year · 773 mm of rain a year · Source: Met Eireann 1991-2020 normals (Dublin Airport), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8°C / 46°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| Feb | 9°C / 47°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| Mar | 10°C / 50°F | 3°C / 37°F |
| Apr | 12°C / 54°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| May | 15°C / 59°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| Jun | 18°C / 64°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Jul | 20°C / 67°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Aug | 19°C / 66°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Sep | 17°C / 62°F | 10°C / 49°F |
| Oct | 14°C / 56°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Nov | 10°C / 51°F | 4°C / 40°F |
| Dec | 8°C / 47°F | 3°C / 37°F |
Daily life
Berlin is a capital / metropolis; Dublin is a capital / metropolis on the coast. Berlin is Germany's cheapest big city by a margin, with a huge creative, startup and freelancer scene and the best nightlife in our set. Bureaucracy, slow landlords and a tight rental market are the price of admission, and you can get a long way in English but not everywhere. Dublin is the easiest big European city for English speakers, with a deep tech and finance job market and direct flights to the US. It is also among the priciest places to rent in our set, so the real question is whether your income can carry the housing.
Living in Berlin: the upsides and downsides
- Large freelance, startup and creative community with a Freelance (Freiberufler) visa route
- Fast, cheap public transit with the EUR 63 national ticket
- Lakes, parks and cycling within the city
- Downside: Finding an apartment is hard and competitive; expect paperwork like Schufa credit reports
- Downside: Dark, grey winters with highs around 3 degrees in January
Living in Dublin: the upsides and downsides
- English is the everyday language, so paperwork and small talk are easy
- Large US tech, pharma and finance employers and a Critical Skills permit route
- Direct flights to many US cities and US pre-clearance at the airport
- Downside: Rents and housing scarcity are the biggest day-to-day problem
- Downside: Wet, grey, mild weather with relatively few sunshine hours
Visas and residency
Berlin is in Germany and Dublin is in Ireland. The main routes for each:
- Germany EU Blue Card - Work permit, open, €4,225/mo income
- Germany Freelance Visa (Freiberufler) - Freelance visa, open
- Germany Opportunity Card - Work permit, open, €1,091/mo income
- Ireland Citizenship by Descent (Foreign Births Register) - Citizenship by descent, open
- Ireland Critical Skills Employment Permit - Work permit, open, €3,409/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Berlin and living in Dublin.
Related comparisons
- Berlin vs Munich
- Dublin vs Cork
- Dublin vs Amsterdam
- Berlin vs Amsterdam
- Berlin vs Rotterdam
- Berlin vs Budapest
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.