Relocating to Dublin

FacelessVoid

Hello!👋

I am planning to move to Ireland from Romania. I am a software developer and I am 25 year old.

What should I take in consideration? I did some planning but I want locals opinions because they have the most experience(of course).

First of all I want to ask if 4500 euro/month (54,000/year) will be enough to live in Dublin. How about the rent? Is it hard to find rent in Dublin?

Please give me some advice. Thank you very much!🙏

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058229558/relocating-to-dublin

Dublin is a bit of a mess these days. Rent is insanely expensive and we currently have 20 year high inflation rates.

We were also very irresponsible with the economy during COVID.

All in all, I would think long and hard before coming here

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524553#Comment_118524553

Thank you for you advice! It means a lot to me! 🙏

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524705#Comment_118524705

There are plentry of Software Development jobs in Dublin, and the rest of Ireland.

If you want to look up the Rents, try DAFT.IE.

Does it have to be Dublin?

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524781#Comment_118524781

Hello! Thank for the reply. As I heard(and I am not trying to be unpolite) there is not munch going on outside the Dublin area. Please correct me if I am wrong. As I saw in the rest of the country the salaries are smaller and the rest is almost the same.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058229558/relocating-to-dublin

If 54k is the gross salary, you will be getting 4,500 per month gross, so expect to pay approx 25% of that back in tax (depending on pension payments, other work perks etc.), so your net pay will be somewhere closer to 3-3.5k per month. A room in dublin city centre is approximately 1k a month in a house share, some places are cheaper, some places are more expensive but as a rule of thumb that seems to be fair. I havent rented in a number of years, but as I understand as well as being expensive, you are completing with countless others and need references, work history, proof of income etc.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524827#Comment_118524827

The salary that I talked about is after tax. That is what scares me. I un heard that is harder to get a rent than to get a job. Is that true? Is that hard?

TimHorton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524827#Comment_118524827

You will get Approx €3,200 per month , https://taxcalc.ie/budget-2022/

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524865#Comment_118524865

Is that a good salary? Because I am afraid that I will get tricked and I will accept a much lower salary offer. What do you think?

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524849#Comment_118524849

If you're taking 54,000 home a year after tax then you'll have no problem finding somewhere to rent. It just depends how much of your monthly income you are happy to spend on rent really.

You'll get a 1 bedroom apartment around the city centre (D1) for approx 1,500 a month.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524935#Comment_118524935

Thanks for the advice. Ok. That will take a good part of my salary.

TimHorton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524849#Comment_118524849

Generally, you agree on a Before Tax Salary (How would an employer know your personal situation for example if you have a wife who will not work means you will pay less tax, etc..) , Only Professional Footballers agree on Net Wages,

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524960#Comment_118524960

Well I did not agreed on a net salary. I did the calculation myself. The told me the Before Tax Salary and I asked how much of that will be after tax. Also the employer know my situation, my age and that I am not married.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524958#Comment_118524958

It's a large part of your salary alright (about what, 33%?) but there are a lot of folks out there paying those Dublin rental prices and it's taking up 50%+, so you're actually still in a great position with 3000 euro left a month to live on.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525017#Comment_118525017

The problem is that here in Romania I save that amount every month (about 3000 euros). The living cost here are really low. That is the main thing that keep me from moving. I don't know if it wise to move in a place with that much cost of leaving. Of course there are a lot of pros in that decision. In Ireland the education system is much more developed as long as the healthcare system. Here In Romania there are bugs and rats in the hospitals. There is the infrastructure that is really bad here as well. Is a hard decision to make. Live in a well developed country versus saving much more money.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525053#Comment_118525053

You could always just try it out for a year or so - think of it as experience rather than forever. Or as we might say 'suck it and see'.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525097#Comment_118525097

Thank you very much! 🙏

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525053#Comment_118525053

That's a really large chunk of your income that you are saving - Is there something you are saving for specifically?

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525143#Comment_118525143

Yeah. First of all I save for an emergency account, to have money for rainy days. And a small part of that I am investing in the stock market in a safe ETF. After the emergency account will be ready, I plan to save for 12 months of expenses, I will invest all the extra money in the stock market.

Giblet

Does your new job allow you to work from home? You don't necessarily need to live in Dublin, I work with people who live in Offaly, but get paid around what you will from companies based in Dublin.

54,000 won't go far in Dublin if you are living alone, I've seen it happen a few times to software devs who move from Romania, Brazil etc and get caught out by the rent.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524809#Comment_118524809

Yes, Salaries are lower outside Dublin, but so is the rent.

Cork, Limerick, & Galway would have a fair number of software jobs.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525277#Comment_118525277

Thank you very much for you advice! 🙏

TimHorton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525281#Comment_118525281

1200 + Software Engineers in Ericsson located in Athlone , https://www.ericsson.com/en/careers/global-locations/ireland

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525281#Comment_118525281

Yeah, but I saw that the difference is not that big in my opinion.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525330#Comment_118525330

I will take a look. Thank you!

Tork

I get the impression you have never been to Ireland and don't have a realistic view of what life here is like. I think a short city break to Dublin could be an eye opener for you. It's not like what they tell you in the tourist brochures. Is there any reason why you want to move to Dublin rather than to another EU city ?

iwasliedto

Dublin is a great city if you have money. Getting somewhere to live is difficult but very doable on the amount of money you will get. If you need more money then there are huge shortages for people with your skills so you will have little problem if you need to move jobs. As others say, come here for a week and get the feel of the city. Lots of things to do here with a relatively young population and surrounded by the sea and adjacent to the hills. The most important thing is to come with a positive attitude and you will be happy.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525925#Comment_118525925

Thank you very much for you answer! I will try to negotiate with them as good as I can. I read Never Split The Difference. I hope that will work 😄

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525863#Comment_118525863

Hello Tork, well you are right. I never been there. It is a blind move. Well to be honest I did some research online. Well I want to move to Ireland because of the language. English is the only language that I can speak other than Romanian. I want to create a start-up and I think as I researched that Ireland is the proper country for business. And as I understood Ireland is great. I think even the weather is not that bad. As I said the language is the main reason.

Thank you for the advice 🙏

meijin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526517#Comment_118526517

I think many people are getting confused about your salary. It's not common to list net salary. If you're getting 54k net, which is about 85k gross, that's a comfortable salary for Dublin. Just check https://taxcalc.ie/budget-2022/ to confirm.

Renting a room might cost about 1k. Other expenses, food, transport, entertainment, etc. maybe max 1k more. So you probably will be able to save about 2.5k per month anyway.

And you might want to put some money into pension fund - as that's before tax.

Coming for a short visit before deciding is highly recommended!

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526593#Comment_118526593

Thank you for you answer. Sorry for the misunderstanding. The salary is about 85 k gross. I will consider the visit. Thank you once again!

Tork

There is a lot to like about Ireland - unlike some people I don't like to knock the place. But like every other country, it is far from perfect. You mentioned hospitals earlier in the thread. If healthcare is something high up on your agenda, Ireland is probably not the country for you. Being kind, our healthcare system is creaking under the strain of being badly managed and understaffed. If you take out private health insurance, you will escape the worst of the public healthcare system. But still, if something happens to you and you need to have emergency treatment, you could find yourself sitting for many hours in the Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital. We might not have rats and bugs in the actual wards but some interesting vermin come in for treatment, especially when the pubs are open.

Our infrastructure is a mixed bag too and depending on your circumstances, may be fine or may frustrate you beyond belief. I don't have any hands on experience of setting up or running my own business so I haven't got a clue what that is like here. There is an Entrepreneurial & Business Management forum here on boards so that might be useful to you.

What areas of Dublin were you thinking about living in, by the way? What sort of accommodation were you thinking about renting? I think you genuinely need to spend some time walking around the areas where you think you might be living and working to get an idea of how safe you feel. I don't want to turn this into one of the Dublin bashing threads you see in After Hours, but there is a noticeable anti-social element hanging around parts of the city centre.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526691#Comment_118526691

Thank you for the inside information, it is helpful to know that. Health care is not a problem for me now. I will took a look there then. To be honest I don't really know. I was hopping to get a work from home job there with little office interaction. I want something close for the center. I don't want a car so I want a place that is close to the shops, gym and the city center. I prefer to walk. I wanted a 1 bedroom apartment. The studio is to small for me. I like cooking so a studio is not ok for that. I will smell like food every day if I do that.

54k is an absolutely great salary for a 25 year old. You would be making more than the vast majority of people the same age as you in Dublin. It's more than enough to get by on.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118527047#Comment_118527047

Thank you very much for the advice!🙏

all-american-girl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525277#Comment_118525277

We have a few working with us. 54,000 after tax looks like a great salary, and it is by Irish standards, but Dublin is a very expensive city to live in. OP, I would advise you to think hard about your move. Most of the non-Irish devs in my place of work, and they make up a huge majority of the development team, would prefer to work abroad, but that isn't possible at the moment. Ireland was very irresponsible during COVID when it came to money, and people like yourself will be a primary target when the times comes to pay that bill. I moved here a few years ago from NYC, and the cost of living here shocked me.

KaneToad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524809#Comment_118524809

You are wrong about "outside the Dublin area". I say this as someone who has spent decades in Dublin.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118527593#Comment_118527593

Hello. Wow! If a person who lived in the NYC says that Dublin is expensive that is a big red flag. Thank you for that. I think unless I get a very good offer I will not move. Also I think a trip there before the move will be a great idea. Thank you once again 🙏

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118527638#Comment_118527638

Hello, I was thinking that way to and people are exaggerating sometimes. It can't be the same as Dublin of course but there should be life outside of Dublin in Ireland 😄. As you said you have a lot of experience with Ireland, ca you please give me an opinion on weather? I took a look on statistics and it rains more that in other parts of the world, but is it that bad?

Thank you very much! 🙏

MSVforever

I don't know what planet some people are living on but 85k gross for a 25 y.o. single in Dublin is a great salary to have an awesome lifestyle here.

There's plenty of folks on similar salaries who have a spouse, kid, mortgage, two cars and still get by.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118527912#Comment_118527912

Hello, At this point to be hones I don't know what to do. I will think about it. Maybe I will take a trip and work remote for a week to get a feeling of the situation. Thank you very much! 🙏

Giblet

85k is a different story, and definitely workable, but doesn't change the fact that rent is expensive. I would still look at a commuter town and see if your office allows work from home, get that rent figure down.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118530077#Comment_118530077

Thank you for the advice! 🙏

iwasliedto

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118527692#Comment_118527692

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526553#Comment_118526553

If you are to move I would think late springtime is best. The summer in Dublin is nice generally long days of brightness, the sun is up before 5 AM and sets at around 10 PM in June but it is bright long before 5 and doesn't get dark until nearer 10.30. Dublin is the driest part of Ireland normal rainfall is around 800mm a year but last year it was under 700mm. Sofia is about 600mm per year but Dublin rain is less intense so it is spread out with more days of rain. The west coast of Ireland is very different with rainfall up to 2000mm but generally around 1500mm.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118530232#Comment_118530232

That are some valuable information! Thank you! 🙏

Yellow_Fern

You mention you want to put savings in the stock market, in ETFs. That is a top notch plan but check out how they are taxed here. It is complicated, but for ETFs Ireland is one of the worst places in the world, despite being the centre of the industry, you py tax on them every 8 years, even if you don't sell, and it is at 41%. Check how it works compared to Romania. Askaboutmoney and r/irishpersonalfinance are good places to check this

John_Rambo

You're 25, skilled, single? on an excellent income. Move to Dublin, Cork, maybe Galway or Waterford, don't move to a farming area so you can work from home alone. There's a huge diaspora in Dublin, I know a few Romanians working here, seems to be a lively, active and young community. If not the city centre try and get somewhere on the DART line so you can commute in and out easily.

Like any country there's a good bit of animosity towards the Capital, especially on the internet.

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118532446#Comment_118532446

41% WHAT?!?!😵 I will have to check that. Thank you very much for the information! 🙏

FacelessVoid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118532483#Comment_118532483

I am not single. I have a girlfriend which will come with me. She will get a job here as well. Even if she is coming with me and she will work I want to know I can support my self if something bad happens. Thank you very much! 🙏

FacelessVoid

Hello guys,

I got an offer. I did really good at the interview and they offered me 55000. As I am in a strong situation and I can make a big impact in their team I countered at 110500. What are you thinking about it? Please give me some feedback.

Yeah, that last 500 is very important. I'd have asked for a cool 1 mil but each to their own.