Is €30,000/year a Good Salary in Ireland?
This is roughly the entry-level range in Ireland — the kind of pay early-career workers, apprentices, and many service jobs see.
A gross salary of this level in Ireland sits around the 22th percentile — entry-level for the country. After estimated tax, take-home is roughly 25,020 EUR/year.
What does this salary mean?
In Ireland, €30,000 per year lands close to entry-level pay. Essentials are covered; savings and lifestyle spending require active budgeting.
Broken down monthly, that is roughly €2,500 gross per month — and about €2,085/month (€25,020/year) after estimated tax in Ireland.
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Ireland is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Monthly affordability snapshot
Directional pressure across the main spending categories at this income in Ireland.
Rent is workable in mid-cost cities; Dublin still leaves a narrow margin.
Day-to-day food and household basics are covered without strain.
Owning a modest car or commuting daily is sustainable.
Realistic savings rate is low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Discretionary spending is limited; most months focus on essentials.
Rent pressure
In Dublin, rent alone could absorb roughly 56% of take-home — the salary will feel meaningfully tighter than in Cork. These are directional figures based on typical 1-bedroom rent benchmarks; actual rent depends heavily on neighbourhood, size, and timing.
Take-home pay context
Gross pay is what's listed on the offer; net pay is what arrives after income tax and PRSI + USC. For this level in Ireland, the combined effective deduction is roughly 17%, leaving about €2,085 per month. Actual take-home varies with state/regional taxes, filing status, retirement contributions, and benefits — treat these as planning figures rather than payroll numbers.
Lifestyle tier
Covers only the most essential needs in lower-cost areas. A second income or shared housing is usually required.
Practical interpretation
- Check rent and transport totals before committing to a city — they dominate the budget.
- Significantly stronger in lower-cost regions than in Dublin.
- Building meaningful savings is hard without reducing rent or transport costs.
- A second household income changes the math more than any single deduction.
How it stacks up in Ireland
What this salary means in practice
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Ireland is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Realistic savings rate at this level is in low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Renting in Dublin eats a heavy share of net pay; smaller cities like Cork feel much more sustainable.
In Dublin, costs run roughly 45% above the national baseline — so the same salary feels meaningfully different than it does in Cork.
What earners at this level can usually afford
Realistic in most cities
Affordable with monthly budgeting
Possible only by saving over months
Occasional, not routine
Difficult without dual income
Hard while covering essentials
Generally out of range
Adjust the numbers
Try a different country or amount to see how the verdict shifts.
Compared against Dublin cost-of-living baseline. Estimates only — not financial advice.
Other Ireland salary verdicts
Go deeper
In Ireland, €30,000/year is below the national median — about 38% below the median. After ~17% in income tax and social contributions, take-home is around €2,085/month (€25,020/year). Living costs in Dublin run noticeably higher than the national average, so the same paycheck stretches further in smaller cities.
- Below national median
- Tight for single person
- Tight for family of 4
- High big-city housing pressure
- Limited savings room
- Low tax burden
Compare nearby Ireland salaries
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- €30,000 after tax in IrelandFull take-home breakdown
Common questions
Last updated: 2026. Verdict uses simplified national statistics. Estimates only — not financial advice.