here we go again You can only compare price cheap/dear when all factors which go into running a business are equal. Take insurance a recent programme on British TV should a 7yr old hurt his toe on drain shore he got £1700 here he would have got €7000.so now you can see why insurance here is so expensive.

There is no way Ireland is one of the “cheaper” tourist destinations. This is still rip off Ireland. I was in a pub beside Dundrum shopping centre, asked for a bottle of cider and a glass of wine. Barman asked what type, I said Chardonnay, so I routed out €15 to be sure I was covered. When he saw what I had, he said, “go again”. I got €3.80, from €20. I couldn’t believe it and before I could complain he was gone. Went to Santa Pola last weekend in Spain. 3 plates of food, and 2 beers just over €10. Now I ask you how can we compare. And as for the service, well the “Cead Mile Failte” is well and truely dead and spinning in her grave. In Europe, they take pride in the service industry, here it wham bam, gizz your money and get out, thank you mam. Get used to the continuing crap service at top dollar, for a while more, until we all realise that to earn something we’re going to have to work hard for it.
And who is the genius coming up with these figures. Probably the same who believe we are the envy of Europe, Bertie, Brian & Co. More like the embarrassment of Europe.

Well said Dealga & Alan. These surveys never compare like for like i.e. why is food more costly in restaurants in Ireland v Prague? Wages, Rates, Rent, Insurance, VAT etc, etc… This whole rip off Ireland thing has got out of hand and is being blamed for everything.

Absolutely agree you can get a cheap hotel in Dublin, but unfortunately you get what you pay for. Stayed in Dublin two weeks ago good deal on the hotel entered the room it was filthy, After getting a 2 year old and a 4 week old baby and all their extras up to the room even my wife was too tired to ask for another room there was also the fear the next room would be the same. I had to make the beds again myself, when we got someone to clean it ended up being a suited person (managerial type) with a vacuum cleaner I felt embarrassed for him as you could clearly hear the dirt get sucked up into the vacuum (he did not seem embarrassed). No doubt Dublin, Cork and Galway and most other towns and cities have become more competitive to stay in or to eat out but the quality of service is so low. Brian @ 4 describes it beautifully “wham bam, gizz your money and get out, thank you mam”.
It’s about time we started having some self respect and demand more from people in the service industry, I am not saying the customer is always right but if you are not happy with the service or part of the service you should let it be known. If you don’t complain the management may not know that there is a problem and you would be surprised how many business value good feed back by good I mean accurate. My tip for complaining is give some positive feedback first then the negative feedback. They take you more seriously (sometimes) if they think your feed back is balanced. I have to admit I am not very good at this myself and we all have to become better at asking for a good service only then will the service improve.

@brian what sot of wages do you think waiter the waiters are on in santa polo. you are not comparing like for like. I was working with a Spaniard last year and he was earning €40K here while doing the same job in Spain he was getting €26K. When all countries are paying the same taxes, insurance, wages utility charges rents etc then you see whose ripping who off. Would any off you take the spanish wages so you could have 3 plates of food and 2 beers for a €10 or is it you want the Irish wages and spanish prices, you cant have both

Dealga, what’s your point? No one is suggesting you go live in Lisbon or Warsaw, but to visit for a city break they are much cheaper than Dublin. Who cares what the wages are? You can’t seriously suggest that because people in Ireland are better paid than our Portuguese or Polish counterparts we are actually better off? I’d much rather have a lower wage (and do, living in Belfast) and be able to go for a pint or dinner without having to count every penny or begrudge handing them over.

Not so long ago when catching the ferry to Holyhead I took my family to a little cafe in Dalkey for a snack. It was then that I realised that Ireland has completely lost all sense of value and price; my Jacket spud and mayo came to €14. More fool me for paying it, but it’s not as if Ireland is short of spuds…..

I have said this on many a blog site If those of you really believe that you are been ripped whether it’s in a shop or restaurants. Why not open and run one of these business yourself and charge spanish and turkish prices and see how long your business lasts

The figure for a 3 course meal in Rome is crazy. there are many small restaurants where you can have your 3 courses, mineral water, wine & coffee for €12, especially in the Trastevere area.

Dealga,

I didn’t ask for help, I asked you to make your point. I’ll ask again, what was your point? That people wouldn’t choose to live in Portugal because the wages are low?!

Do you agree that Dublin is one of the cheaper places in Europe to go for a short break, or not?

A lot of people are jumping to Dublin’s (and Ireland’s) defence by saying because the wages are higher in the Republic, people shouldn’t mind paying more. Nonsense. Also I can understand that because things like insurance and and rates are higher then businesses need to charge accordingly, but that doesn’t adequately explain the massive price differences.

Dublin is not one of the cheaper places to visit for a short break, and just because the average wage in Dublin is higher than in Warsaw doesn’t mean it’s OK to charge 6 euro for a pint of Guinness.

The point is straightforward and quite easy to understand Brendan, but I’ll make it again.

Irish people are paid more than southern and eastern Europeans per hour in any industry you can think of where you can draw a comparison.

Ireland has the second highest minimum wage rates in the EU (nearly three times the Portuguese level).

But, more importantly, Ireland has a minimum wage that is twice as high, or more, in terms of PPS (Purchasing Power Standards) than the four countries identified in Conor’s post. That is why Irish people do not typically emigrate to Portugal or Hungary or Poland or Turkey to find work in times of economic crisis, because they will earn substantially less than in northern European countries and will have less disposable income.

The minimum wage in Portugal is about half what our dole is.

It then follows, as night follows day follows night, that if wages are that much higher across the board prices will follow. Because the restaurant owner that you’re whinging about charging too much for your meal is not only paying higher wages to cooks and serving staff but he’s paying higher prices to his suppliers who, in turn have to pay higher wages etc, etc back down the chain. Furthermore all of them pay more for utilities etc as a partial result of the wage levels there and so on.

That knock on effect will be greatest in any industry where wages are the dominating overhead and what do tourists compare most across countries? The price of going out – the hospitality industry, where wages are generally the greatest overhead.

You ask what my point is – so I can only assume that either you don’t understand any of that, or that you think it’s perfectly ok to expect to pay Budapest prices for stuff in Dublin yet continue to earn at least three times the salary of the average Hungarian (there was a reason *we* started buying their property out from under them) or that it should be possible for worker’s wages in this country to remain among the highest in Europe while business owners simultaneously drive their prices, and therefore their margins, into the ground.

Incidentally if you’re paying €6 for a pint of Guinness in Dublin you’re very bad at shopping around.

@Brian “I was in a pub beside Dundrum shopping centre, asked for a bottle of cider and a glass of wine. Barman asked what type, I said Chardonnay, so I routed out €15 to be sure I was covered. When he saw what I had, he said, “go again”. I got €3.80, from €20. I couldn’t believe it and before I could complain he was gone.”

You know one of the many reasons why it’s cheaper in Spain? Firstly, I doubt most Spanish people would order a bottle of wine without knowing the price. Secondly, if a Spanish person didn’t like the price, I doubt they would buy it. But you ordered something without knowing the price and then paid it despite the outrageous price it was.
So please, don’t complain about the price. If people like you allow yourselves to be fooled, and then come onto the internet to complain, then of course the rip off will continue.
Of course other costs like insurance, energy, wages are attributed to the big price difference but people paying ridiculous prices and doing nothing about it also contribute.

Dealga,

I am amazed that you can write such a patronisingly insulting reply without answering this straight question:

Do you agree that Dublin is one of the cheaper places for a weekend break, or not?

I don’t need you to defend or explain Irish pricing policy. I’m not whinging about Dublin prices. I accepted a long time ago that things were more expensive in Dublin, it was one reason I was happy to leave the place, and one reason I’ll probably never move back to live – the quality of life wasn’t high enough for me even though I was on a great wage (incidentally, I’ve lived in Ireland, Spain, Korea, America, and Britain – by far the quality of life in Dublin was the lowest, even though it was in the top two in terms of earnings). Having said that, I still go back at least once a month to visit friends and family, and while I certainly wouldn’t pay euro6 for a pint (I’m quite capable of shopping around, thank-you) I know from experience that it’s not unusual, and that many people – such as a number of contributors to this post – pay ridiculous amounts of money for things, then complain about it later. People still look at you strangely in Dublin when you check the price first, or complain that a certain bar is too expensive – there’s a snobbishness that’s going to be hard to erase.

Furthermore, I don’t expect business owners to charge Eastern European prices (even if their Eastern European staff are working Eastern European hours) whilst paying Irish wages – I’m not a fool.

I’d just like to know whether or not you think Dublin is one of the cheaper places for a weekend break.

Brendan,

Dublin has the exact price ranges I would expect for a capital city of its size and relative prosperity.

I am happy to travel to Dublin for weekend breaks and do so regularly and I think it is better value than Rome, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen or London for visiting.

Does that answer your question?

I couldn’t care less that eating / drinking out might be cheaper in Bucharest, Kiev or Minsk