Budget scenario
€10,200
6 months, all in
- 25-wk course: €1,200
- Shared room: €600/mo
- Food/transport: €400/mo
Course, rent, food, transport and insurance in 2026 numbers, with realistic scenarios. No agency accounting.
Between €10,000 and €14,000 all in for 6 months in Dublin (25-week course + accommodation + living costs). In Cork or Galway the total drops 15 to 25%. Working 20 hours a week recovers a good part of it.
€10–14k
6 months in Dublin (all in)
€1,200–2,500
25-week course
€600–900
room per month
≈ €1,130
income at 20 h per month
Section 1 · The open ledger
An Irish study budget has six lines. By far the heaviest is accommodation: it alone decides whether your 6 months cost €10k or €14k. The course is the second largest, and the only one paid in full before you travel.
Below, the typical 2026 ranges. They are medians: school, neighbourhood and season move every line up or down.
| Item | Typical range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Course (25 weeks, ILEP) | €1,200–2,500 | Paid once, before travelling. This is what grants Stamp 2. |
| Accommodation | €600–1,300/mo | From a shared room to your own studio. The biggest lever in the budget. |
| Food | €250–350/mo | Cooking at home (Lidl and Aldi keep it in range). |
| Transport | €50–120/mo | Student Leap Card in Dublin; smaller cities are walkable. |
| Health insurance | €400–800 | For the whole stay. Mandatory for Stamp 2 registration. |
| IRP fee | €300 | Paid once, at immigration registration (first 90 days). |
Section 2 · Scenarios
The same three profiles as the study-and-work guide: Dublin, a 25-week ILEP course, insurance and living costs included. Conversions use live exchange rates.
Budget scenario
€10,200
6 months, all in
Most common
€12,500
6 months, all in
Comfortable
€14,800
6 months, all in
Tool
Build your budget with live exchange rates
Destination, duration, accommodation type and extras. Results in about 30 seconds. Coming soon.
💡 Working 20 h/week at €14.15/h you gross about €1,130/month. That covers accommodation and food in most scenarios. During holidays (Jun to Sep) the cap doubles to 40 h and so does the income.
Section 3 · Proof of funds
Required amount
€6,665
= €833 × 8 months
≈ €833 per month
Besides the budget above, immigration requires you to show €6,665 in an account (yours or a sponsor's) when registering Stamp 2. It is not money spent: it is the guarantee that you can support yourself until you start working.
Good to know: a foreign bank statement converted to euros works, with a certified translation. The amount can overlap with your travel reserve; it does not have to be a separate pot.
Section 4 · By city
Capital
The most jobs and schools, and the country's highest rents. The "most common" scenario above is Dublin.
Best value
20 to 25% cheaper than Dublin with an active job market. For the wallet, the most rational pick.
West coast
A compact university city: you can live without transport costs. A more limited job market.
Inland
The country's lowest cost. Fewer schools and fewer vacancies, but the rent makes up for it on a tight budget.
Section 5 · Saving
Cuts 15 to 25% of the total without losing Stamp 2 rights. The difference pays for the course.
Renting from abroad is expensive. Arrive in a shared room, learn the neighbourhoods and negotiate the long contract in person.
Eating out runs €15 to 20 a plate. Supermarkets (Lidl, Aldi) keep food at €250 to 350/month.
In Dublin the student discount slashes transport. Cork, Galway and Limerick are walkable.
Agency packages cost 15 to 30% more for the same services. Through Lancourse, the price is the school's own.
Flights and accommodation outside mid-year (avoid arriving Jun to Aug) come in noticeably cheaper.
From June to September and 15 Dec to 15 Jan the cap doubles. Used well, the holiday period funds months of the course.
Section 6 · Comparison
Malta is cheaper to enter; Ireland pays far more per hour worked. Short answer: if you depend on local income to sustain yourself, the maths closes better in Ireland, even at a higher total cost.
| Criterion | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 🇲🇹 Malta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for 6 months (all in) | €10k–14k | €7k–12k |
| 25-week course | €1,200–2,500 | €1,500–2,800 |
| Own room (month) | ≈ €900 | ≈ €700 |
| Minimum wage | €14.15/h | €229/wk (~€5.74/h) |
| Earning potential (20 h/wk) | ≈ €1,130/mo | ≈ €500/mo |
Next step
Course prices direct from the school, no agency markup, with an all-in estimate in each school's enquiry form.
Section 7 · FAQ
These answers ship as FAQ schema (JSON-LD) so they can surface in Google AI Overviews.
Rule of thumb: first month of accommodation + deposit (1 month) + €1,000 to 1,500 cushion until the first pay cheque. With the course paid upfront, having €3,000 to 3,500 available on arrival keeps you comfortable. The €6,665 proof of funds can overlap with this.
In most scenarios it covers accommodation and food: 20 h at €14.15/h gross about €1,130/month, while room + food run €850 to €1,250. Do not count on it to pay the course; count on it to stop burning your reserve from month two.
15 to 25% of the total, driven by rent (own room: ~€900 in Dublin vs ~€700 in Cork). Over 6 months the gap reaches €2,000 to 3,000. Dublin gives part of it back through a bigger job market.
€1,200 to €2,500 for 25 weeks, depending on school, city and timetable (mornings cost more than afternoons). Enrolment is usually included; materials and the final exam (e.g. IELTS, ~€200) may come on top. Check what is included on each school's page.
The usual surprises: the €300 IRP fee, the rental deposit (1 month upfront), the proficiency exam (~€200 if not bundled) and first-month arrival items (bedding, SIM, kitchenware). Add about €800 to 1,000 of "arrival cost" to the budget.
Schools charge in euros. Paying from abroad adds exchange spread and local taxes: compare a traditional bank remittance with international transfer platforms, the difference easily exceeds 3 to 5% of the amount. Our figures use live mid-market rates.
Sources:
Trust caveats: