Is Ireland Expensive in Summer? Our Real Budget from the Trip
We spent two weeks in Ireland in summer with a mix of city days in Dublin, a coast road trip on the Wild Atlantic Way, and a stint in Galway. Here’s every euro we spent — and how to do it for less.
Ireland in summer is a dream — long evenings, surprisingly warm days (by Finnish standards, at least), and a coastline that rivals anywhere in Europe. It’s also, let’s be honest, not cheap. We went in expecting the bills and came back having spent more than in Greece but less than in Iceland. The real question was always: is Ireland expensive in summer, or is it just that people underestimate it?
Here’s the actual answer — with receipts.
Ireland is expensive in summer, but not recklessly so. A couple spending two weeks can expect to pay €150–200 per day (accommodation, food, transport, activities) if they book ahead. Budget travellers sleeping in hostels and self-catering can bring that down to €80–100 per day. The main cost traps are accommodation in Dublin and Galway, car hire including insurance, and eating at tourist-facing restaurants. All three are avoidable.
- What we actually spent: a two-week breakdown
- Accommodation costs in Ireland in summer
- Quick-reference: average costs by category
- Where Ireland bleeds your budget (and how to stop it)
- Ireland vs other summer destinations: how it compares
- Budget mistakes we made in Ireland (learn from us)
- FAQ — Ireland summer costs
- A final word from Rovaniemi
What we actually spent: a two-week breakdown
We spent 14 nights in Ireland: 3 in Dublin, 2 in Killarney, 4 on a Wild Atlantic Way road trip (staying in different spots each night), 3 in Galway, and 2 in a cottage near the Cliffs of Moher. Two of us, renting a car, staying in a mix of B&Bs and self-catering cottages.
Our total: €4,140 for two people, 14 nights
That works out to €295 per day for the two of us, or €147 per person per day. Here’s how it broke down:
- Accommodation: €1,820 (13 nights paid — one Airbnb counted as a freebie from loyalty credit)
- Car hire + petrol: €680 (10 days, including mandatory Irish insurance top-up)
- Food & drink: €880 (eating out roughly half the time, self-catering the rest)
- Attractions & activities: €310 (Cliffs of Moher, Rock of Cashel, one whiskey distillery tour, a boat to the Aran Islands)
- Transport (flights not included): €210 (airport transfers, a day without the car in Dublin, one Aircoach)
- Miscellaneous (souvenirs, laundry, tips): €240
Could we have done it cheaper?
Absolutely. If we’d stayed in hostels and self-catered every meal, €80–90 per person per day is realistic. The car hire was the non-negotiable — Ireland outside of Dublin is genuinely difficult without one, and bus-based itineraries on the Wild Atlantic Way involve a lot of waiting. That said, sharing a car among four people would roughly halve that cost.
Accommodation costs in Ireland in summer
Accommodation is where Ireland really bites. Summer is high season, and prices in Dublin and Galway in June–August are comparable to London or Amsterdam. Here’s what we saw:
Dublin
A private room in a central hostel runs €45–70 per person per night in summer. Mid-range hotels in Temple Bar or around the Docklands start at €160 for a double. We paid €185 for a decent three-night stay in a guesthouse near Merrion Square — not central, not bad, not cheap. Airbnb entire apartments in Dublin start at €140 and climb steeply in July. Our tip: stay one or two nights in a hostel, skip the fourth night of Dublin, and move on faster.
Rural and coastal accommodation
Self-catering cottages and B&Bs on the Wild Atlantic Way are actually better value than the cities, especially if you book 3–4 months in advance. We paid €95–130 per night for en-suite rooms in family-run B&Bs in Kerry and Connemara. Those same rooms cost €150+ if booked within three weeks of arrival. Glamping and camping options in Connemara and the Dingle Peninsula bring costs down to €40–60 per night for two.
Quick-reference: average costs by category
Here’s what you can realistically expect to pay in summer 2026:
Hostel dorm: €25–40/night per person • Budget B&B: €60–95/night for two • Mid-range hotel: €130–220 (Dublin/Galway) or €90–140 (rural) • Self-catering cottage: €95–180/night for two
Supermarket lunch/dinner: €8–15 per person • Pub lunch (soup, brown bread, sandwich): €12–18 • Casual restaurant dinner: €25–40 per person incl. one drink • Pint of Guinness: €6.50–7.50 (Dublin) or €5.50–6.50 (rural)
Car hire (per day, 7+ days): €45–80 depending on class • Mandatory Irish insurance top-up (CDW): €10–25/day extra • Dublin Luas day ticket: €7.00 • Bus Éireann inter-city coach: €12–22 • Aircoach Dublin to Cork: €20–35
Cliffs of Moher: €8–9 (timed entry) • Rock of Cashel: €8 • Kilmainham Gaol (Dublin): €8 • Dingle boat trip: €30–40 • Aran Islands ferry: €35–50 return • Whiskey distillery tour: €20–35
Petrol runs €1.65–1.80/litre in summer 2026. A compact diesel covering 1,200 km of the Wild Atlantic Way uses roughly 80 litres — budget €135–145 for fuel on a full coastal route.
Most Dublin museums (National Museum, National Gallery, Chester Beatty Library, Natural History Museum) • Grafton Street & St Stephen’s Green • Phoenix Park • All coastal walks (Wild Atlantic Way, Kerry Way, Connemara) • Most beaches
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