MOVEWORTH

Benchmark relocation brief

Amsterdam to Dublin

On a benchmark software-engineer offer, moving from Amsterdam to Dublin costs $1.0K in net worth over 10 years after real taxes and cost of living, breaking even in year 1. The crossover salary — where this move flips to winning — is $109.6K in Dublin.

Route

Current city

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Destination

Dublin, Ireland

Page URL: /compare/amsterdam-to-dublin

Benchmark verdict

The benchmark needs scrutiny.

-$1.0K over 10 years

Salary benchmark

$98k to $108k

+10% vs current city

Cost index

142 to 158

+11% vs current city

Break-even

Year 1

Within 10-year benchmark horizon

Salary gap

$1.6K

More needed in Dublin to break even

Net worth benchmark

Amsterdam

$4K

Dublin

$3K

Assumptions, sources, currency

Estimates, not financial advice

currency USDsalary basis grosssalary $98k -> $108kspend/mo $6k -> $6ksavings rate 25%return 7%/yrraises 3%/yrhorizon 10 yrtax(est) 40% -> 40%take-home $59k -> $65k

Your inputs

Salary, monthly spend, net worth, raises, savings rate, return, and horizon.

Currency model

All money values you enter are treated as USD. Tax lookups convert to each tax table's anchor currency using an ECB reference-rate snapshot (as of 2026-07-02).

Salary basis

Salaries are annual gross pay; take-home is estimated per city (see Tax model).

Salary benchmarks

Amsterdam: MoveWorth curated benchmarks (USD equivalent) (estimated). Dublin: MoveWorth curated benchmarks (USD equivalent) (estimated). Snapshot refreshed 2026-07-03.

Cost-of-living index

Amsterdam: MoveWorth curated index (city-core costs, US avg = 100). Dublin: MoveWorth curated index (city-core costs, US avg = 100). 100 = US average.

Rent baseline

US rent baselines in the Money section prefer the actual measured median (Census ACS 5-Year, table B25031, https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5/groups/B25031.html) by bedroom for the city's metro area, falling back to official HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026, Oct. 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html) where ACS has no data for that city or bedroom size. Non-US rent remains unconnected in v1.

Tax model

Estimated income tax + employee social contributions. US cities use 2025 federal brackets + state + FICA; UK cities use real PolicyEngine income tax + National Insurance (Scotland's separate bands included); elsewhere an OECD-anchored effective rate. Amsterdam 40%, Dublin 40%. Household: single. Estimate, not a filing model.

Financial math

Compounded net worth from after-tax savings and expected annual returns.

Uncertainty band

The break-even chart's shaded band reruns your numbers ~300 times, nudging investment return, raises, and cost-of-living growth within typical historical swings. It shows a plausible range, not a guarantee, and is seeded from your inputs so it won't change on reload.

Culture & wellbeing

Life expectancy (World Bank) and life satisfaction (Our World in Data) are live, official per-country figures. Languages, English proficiency band, and marriage-equality status are hand-compiled reference facts, not a live feed — verify before relying on them for a legal decision.

Open-Meteo

Live current conditions, 7-day forecast, and current air quality (PM2.5, US AQI) for both city coordinates.

Live city signals

Open-Meteo, weather + air quality

Amsterdam

Dublin

City comparison

RoleAmsterdamDublin
Software Engineer$98K$108K
Product Manager$108K$118K
Data Scientist$96K$105K
UX Designer$86K$92K
Marketing Manager$82K$88K
Financial Analyst$90K$100K

* Salaries are USD equivalents for mid-senior professionals. Local currency compensation may differ.

Cost of living index?

Current
142
New city
158

Dublin is approximately 11% more expensive than Amsterdam.

Amsterdam — industries

· Tech (Booking.com, Adyen)· Finance· Logistics· Creative / Design· Semiconductors (ASML)

Dublin — industries

· Tech HQ (Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft)· Finance· Pharma· Consulting

Amsterdam — lifestyle

· Bike-friendly and walkable· English widely spoken· Liberal and international culture· Housing crisis is severe

Dublin — lifestyle

· English-speaking EU gateway· Severe housing crisis· Friendly and social culture· Rainy but vibrant pub scene

Run the real decision

The benchmark is only a map. Use your actual offer, spend, household, and risk profile.

Common questions

Is moving from Amsterdam to Dublin worth it financially?

On a benchmark software-engineer offer, moving from Amsterdam to Dublin costs about $1.0K in net worth over 10 years, despite breaking even in year 1. A stronger offer or lower spending can flip this — run the simulation with your real numbers.

What salary do I need in Dublin to make the move break even?

About $109.6K — roughly $1.6K more than the current Dublin benchmark offer of $108.0K.

How does the cost of living in Dublin compare to Amsterdam?

Dublin indexes at 158 vs Amsterdam at 142 (US average = 100), so day-to-day costs are about 11% higher.

How do software engineer salaries compare between Amsterdam and Dublin?

Benchmark software-engineer pay is $108.0K in Dublin vs $98.0K in Amsterdam (USD-equivalent, sourced market medians — see the sources section for provenance).