Working and Hiring in Dublin: Pay, Rent and What Employers Should Know
Employing someone in Dublin on the median salary of €50,474 costs the employer about €56,985 a year, with 11.40% employer PRSI and the 1.5% auto-enrolment contribution. National rules apply; Dublin pay is 9% above the national median.
Hiring someone in Dublin, or thinking of working there? This guide covers Dublin pay levels, rents, the local economy in figures and what an employee costs. National rules on PRSI, income tax and employment law are in our Ireland guide.
Dublin in figures, compared with Ireland
What a median Dublin salary costs the employer, from 1 October 2026
What it costs to employ someone in Dublin
Dublin follows national employment law, PRSI and income tax. There is no separate Dublin payroll tax. What changes in Dublin is the pay level. At the Dublin median annual salary of €50,474, weekly pay is €970.65, above €552, so the employer pays PRSI at 11.40% on all pay from 1 October 2026: €5,754.04. If the employee is auto-enrolled in MyFutureFund, the employer adds 1.5%, or €757.11. The total cost is €56,985.15 a year. For notice, leave, sick pay, income tax and the minimum wage, see our guide to hiring in Ireland.
Pay in Dublin
Employees living in Dublin earned a median of €50,474 in 2025, 9% more than the national median of €46,305, according to the CSO. The mean was €67,241. Dublin had the highest median weekly earnings of any county, at €848.06, but also the smallest rise in 2025, at 3.2%. See pay by sex and how Dublin compares with nearby counties on our average salary in Dublin page.
Rent and living costs
The average rent for a new tenancy in County Dublin was €2,335 a month in Q1 2026, the highest of any county and 27% above the national average of €1,839, according to the RTB Rent Index. Rents for new tenancies rose 7.8% over the year. An adult TFI Leap card fare is €2.00 for 90 minutes of travel, with a daily cap of €6.00. Candidates moving to Dublin, or asking for a Dublin salary, will weigh these costs. Our cost of living in Dublin page has rents by local area, transport fares and local property tax.
The Dublin economy in figures
Disposable income per person in Dublin was €33,889 in 2024, 12% above the national average and the highest of any county, according to the CSO. Foreign-owned companies paid 40% of employee pay in Dublin, the highest share of any county. Housing is the largest cost: the median price paid for a dwelling in Dublin was €500,000 in the 12 months to August 2026, against €400,000 nationally.
How to hire in Dublin
Hiring in Dublin comes down to two decisions: who you hire, and how you employ them.
- Find the person. Write the role, set the salary against Dublin pay levels, then source and interview candidates. You can run the search yourself with a job post, or use a placement service that delivers a shortlist.
- Choose how to employ them. An Irish entity running payroll, an employer of record or a contractor agreement. Each option is explained below.
- Make the offer. The contract has to meet Irish employment rules, set out in our Ireland guide.
Your options for employing someone in Dublin
- Irish entity: you register a company, run payroll and pay employer PRSI yourself. It suits a team of several people in Ireland.
- Employer of record (EOR): a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Irish payroll for a monthly fee per employee. Your company directs the work.
- Contractor: the person invoices you through their own business. Irish rules on employment status still apply, so the relationship has to be genuinely independent.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We handle the placement: we find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
How Euro Remote Talent can help
We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299 and reach candidates who want to work remotely.
See how placement works, post a job or book a 30-minute call. Browse remote jobs in Ireland to see who is hiring there now, or read our guide to hiring in Ireland.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to employ someone in Dublin?
On the Dublin median salary of €50,474, the employer adds €5,754.04 PRSI at 11.40% and, if the employee is auto-enrolled, €757.11 at 1.5%. The total is €56,985.15 a year. The rates are the same across Ireland.
Is there a Dublin minimum wage or Dublin allowance?
No. The national minimum wage applies across Ireland, including Dublin. Any Dublin allowance is set by the employer or a sector agreement, not by law.
How much more is pay in Dublin than in the rest of Ireland?
Employees living in Dublin earned a median of €50,474 in 2025, 9% more than the national median of €46,305, according to the CSO.
How much is rent in Dublin?
The average rent for a new tenancy in County Dublin was €2,335 a month in Q1 2026, up 7.8% on a year earlier, according to the RTB Rent Index. Stillorgan had the highest average of any local area in Ireland at €2,975.
Can a company outside Ireland hire someone in Dublin without an Irish entity?
Yes. The usual routes are an employer of record, a third-party provider that employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: we find, screen and shortlist the person, and you choose the route.
Sources
- CSO, Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources 2025: Annual Earnings. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- CSO, Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources 2025: County. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- CSO, County Incomes and GDP 2024: Disposable Income by County. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- RTB, Rent Index Q1 2026. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- CSO, Residential Property Price Index August 2026. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Transport for Ireland, TFI 90 Minute Fare. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Department of Social Protection, PRSI Class A rates. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Department of Social Protection, Auto-enrolment retirement savings system for employers. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
