The average cost of living for a student eligible for free tuition is €16,158, according to Switcher.ie’s annual study. This is up €479 from 2025, and €1,060 from 2023. In Dublin, the cost of living is €1,943 per month, and including fees is €19,990 for the year. The average rent for students is €989 per month.
The report found that Letterkenny was the cheapest at €1,285 per month, and was joined at the bottom by Sligo (€1,301), Dundalk (€1,402), Waterford (€1,417), Athlone (€1,431), and Tralee (€1,496). The most expensive were Dublin, Cork (€1,677), Maynooth (€1,632), Carlow (€1,572), Limerick (€1,558), and Galway (€1,507).
Overall, Accommodation is up 3% (+ €183 per year) in 2026, Utilities are up 9% (+ €70 per year), Groceries are up 4% (+ €82 per academic year), and nights out and entertainment are up 4% (+ €139 per academic year). Non-EU university fees are also up 3% (+ €525). The biggest town-level increases were seen in Limerick, Galway, Tralee, and Cork. The steepest accommodation rise was in Tralee at an increase of €501, followed by Cork, Dundalk, and Sligo, mostly from private student accommodation providers.
Eoin Clarke, Commercial Director at Switcher.ie said, “Our research shows that rent and everyday expenses have added almost €500 to the average cost of college since last year. Even in towns traditionally viewed as affordable, higher bills are making it harder for students and families to stretch their budgets.
Accommodation continues to take one of the biggest bites out of student budgets. Some of the highest rent increases were recorded in Tralee, Cork, Dundalk and Sligo, where rising private student accommodation prices pushed up the average student accommodation cost in each town.
The location of study now has an even bigger impact on student pockets, with a gap of almost €6,000 over the academic year between Dublin and Letterkenny.” He went on to encourage parents and students to look into SUSI grants, scholarships and the Student Assistance Fund before taking out educational loans and remind them to claim tax relief for tuition fees and rent.
