- Remote workers in Dublin face monthly living costs of €2,804, rising to €3,124 when coworking costs are included
- Dublin has the second-highest average rent in Europe at €2,043 per month
- Cost of living and working remotely in Dublin has increased 6.6% year-on-year
- New bunq Working Abroad Index highlights significant cost differences for professionals choosing where to live and work across Europe
Dublin, 1 September 2026 – Dublin is the second most expensive city in Europe for remote workers, with only London costing more, according to new research from bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank.
The latest bunq Working Abroad Index reveals that a remote worker living in Dublin can expect monthly costs of €2,804 before coworking expenses are included. For those using a coworking space, that rises to €3,124 per month.
The findings come as remote and flexible working continue to give professionals greater freedom over where they live and work. However, the index reveals significant differences in the cost of maintaining that lifestyle across European cities, with Dublin emerging as one of the continent’s most expensive locations.
Housing represents a particularly significant expense. Average monthly rent in Dublin stands at €2,043, the second highest among the European cities analysed.
Remote workers also face comparatively high costs beyond housing. Dublin has the third-highest public transport costs in Europe at €140 per month and ranks second for both internet and coworking costs.
Overall, the cost of living and working remotely in Dublin has increased by 6.6% year-on-year, according to the index.
While remote working allows professionals to work from almost anywhere, the findings highlight the financial implications of choosing where to base themselves.
European cities including Lisbon, Valencia, Malaga, Athens, Berlin and Amsterdam all offer lower overall costs than Dublin for remote workers, according to the index.
For Irish professionals whose jobs can be performed remotely, this creates an increasingly significant choice to remain in one of Europe’s most expensive cities or take advantage of flexible working to base themselves elsewhere while continuing their careers.
Joe Wilson, Chief Evangelist at bunq, said: “Remote working has fundamentally changed the relationship between where people live and where they work. Professionals increasingly have the freedom to choose a city based not only on where their employer is located, but on the lifestyle and financial opportunities it offers.”
“For Irish remote workers, that flexibility can be particularly significant. Dublin remains an attractive international city, but our index shows that the cost of living and working there is now among the highest in Europe. Having the ability to compare those costs can help people make more informed decisions about where their money - and their lifestyle - can take them.”
The bunq Working Abroad Index compares the costs associated with living and working remotely across 75 cities, including accommodation, public transport, internet and coworking costs.
bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank, has built the first user-centric bank. By developing a product rooted in its users’ wants and needs, bunq makes life easy for location-independent people and businesses, starting from the way they manage money: how they spend, save, budget and invest. As the world’s first GenAI-powered bank, bunq offers its users safe, secure and simple 24/7 financial support — user-centricity at scale.
Pioneering many things considered impossible, bunq was the first bank to get a greenfield European banking permit in over 35 years, raised the largest Series A round ever secured by a European fintech (€193 million), and was the first EU neobank to achieve structural profitability. As part of its mission to build the first global neobank, bunq has also received its US broker-dealer license and applied for Mexican banking licenses, with more global expansion to follow.