Dublin on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
It is possible but hard: Dublin's accommodation prices make it one of Europe's toughest budget cities. A realistic minimum is about €135 a day per person sharing a budget double (bed €75, food €35, sights €20, transport €6); a hostel dorm and free museums can bring that down to roughly €80–100.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €75 | €140 | €300 |
| Food & drink | €35 | €65 | €130 |
| Sights & tickets | €20 | €50 | €100 |
| Local transport | €6 | €10 | €25 |
| Per person, per day | €136 | €265 | €555 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Dublin day-cost table.
Free things to do
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology on Kildare Street (bog bodies and Celtic gold)
- National Gallery of Ireland, including works by Caravaggio and Jack B. Yeats
- Chester Beatty Library in the grounds of Dublin Castle
- St Stephen's Green and Merrion Square, with the Oscar Wilde statue
- Phoenix Park, one of Europe's largest city parks, with wild deer
- The Howth Cliff Walk (you only pay the DART fare to get there)
Cheap eats
- Breakfast roll or chicken fillet roll from a deli counter: about €5–8
- Soup or chowder with brown bread: roughly €8–14
- Fish and chips from a chipper: roughly €12–16
- Irish stew in a pub away from Temple Bar: roughly €16–22
- Full Irish breakfast in a café: roughly €13–18
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers mostly stay in hostels around Temple Bar, Christ Church, O'Connell Street and Gardiner Street, where dorm beds typically cost about €30–60 a night, rising to €70 or more on summer and event weekends. Private budget rooms are scarce; book early and compare areas just outside the centre on a Luas or DART line.
Getting around cheaply
Walk the compact centre, and use a Leap card or contactless for buses, Luas and DART (about €2 for 90 minutes with transfers). From the airport, the cheapest options are Dublin Bus routes into the centre; the Dublin Express and Aircoach coaches are faster (30–45 minutes, depending on traffic) and still far cheaper than a taxi.
A sample budget day
- Morning: breakfast roll (about €6), then the National Museum – Archaeology (free) and St Stephen's Green
- Lunch: soup and brown bread in a café (about €10)
- Afternoon: the Chester Beatty Library (free) and a walk through the Liberties to St Patrick's Cathedral (outside)
- Evening: fish and chips (about €14) and one pint on Camden Street (about €7); dorm bed about €45
- Total: about €85 with a dorm bed; about €135 sharing a budget double and adding one paid sight
More ways to save
- Book accommodation as early as possible and check the calendar for rugby internationals, GAA finals and big concerts.
- Shop at supermarkets such as Lidl, Aldi, Tesco or Dunnes for breakfast and picnic lunches.
- Do a free walking tour (tip-based) instead of a paid bus tour.
- Pick one or two paid sights rather than all of them: Kilmainham Gaol (about €8) is the best value.
- Use the DART for cheap day trips to Howth, Dalkey or Bray along the coast.
- Order tap water in restaurants: it is safe and free.
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Common questions
Can you visit Dublin on a budget?
Yes, with planning: stay in a hostel, use the free national museums and galleries, eat from deli counters and supermarkets, and travel with a Leap card.
Which museums in Dublin are free?
The National Museum of Ireland sites, the National Gallery, the Chester Beatty Library and the Irish Museum of Modern Art have free entry to their main collections; some special exhibitions charge.
What is the cheapest way from Dublin Airport to the city?
Dublin Bus routes are the cheapest; the Dublin Express and Aircoach coaches are faster and still much cheaper than a taxi (roughly €30–40). There is no train or tram to the airport.