United Kingdom
IrelandBelfast makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
Belfast vs Dublin
Dublin is Ireland's international business centre, with a large technology and finance presence and a high-pressure housing market. Belfast is smaller and less expensive, with a strong cultural scene and a more manageable city scale, though its local career market has less depth.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Dublin makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Dublin65
Leads on work & family and moving & settling in; stands out for professional network and startup & tech scene.
- 2Belfast64
Leads on money; stands out for easier house-hunting and space for the money.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Belfast68Dublin58
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $1,110/mo, leads
- $2,123/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~36%, leads
- ~45%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 92, leads
- 104
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 23–45%, leads
- 25–48%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 126 days
- 127 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 4 days
- 5 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 8.1 µg/m³
- 8 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Dublin59Belfast58
Beach & sea
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Dublin68Belfast67
Walkability
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 5/10
- 6/10, leads
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Belfast73Dublin70
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 1
- 0.7
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
English-speaking care
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Dublin71Belfast62
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 8/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work–life balance
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Schools
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Dublin64Belfast54
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 7/10
- 6/10, leads
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 1/10
- 1/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Flight connections
110
- 6/10
- 8/10, leads
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 7/10
- 9/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 9/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 4/10
- 8/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 6/10
- 8/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Belfast
A compact, low-rise city that is easy to cross on foot and never feels overwhelming. Walkable central neighbourhoods and a manageable scale are the draw.
Dublin
Dublin is small and low-slung, a walkable core wrapped in sprawling low-density suburbs where a car starts to matter. The pace is calmer than a major continental metropolis, more manageable, less relentless.
Safety
Belfast
Among the safer cities to live in day to day. Serious violent crime is low and the roads are calm and well-behaved by city standards, so walking around feels relaxed at most hours.
Dublin
Serious violent crime is rare and the roads are notably safe, helped by a stable, predictable political backdrop. Pickpocketing and street hassle in parts of the centre keep it from being spotless, and walking alone late at night feels middling rather than reassuring, but the baseline is solid.
Work and healthcare
Belfast
Work is available in a small local market, with a modest startup scene and a professional network that remains limited. Care runs through the NHS, so there are no insurance puzzles and almost no out-of-pocket shock at the point of use, all in English.
Dublin
Dublin is one of the stronger cities for a local career. The headline advantage is that care happens in English, with no translation gap to navigate.
Culture and public life
Belfast
The sense of place is real and distinctly its own. Belfast keeps things moderately clean, with the cared-for Cathedral Quarter set against grittier, neglected pockets.
Dublin
Dublin punches above its modest size, with a strong pub and live-music culture, good cafes, and a dining scene that has grown well beyond stereotype. Dublin's city centre is noticeably littered, its upkeep uneven from block to block.
Summary
Dublin is the choice for a career tied to multinational employers and a larger professional network, if housing is workable. Belfast offers a more approachable cost and scale, and can be the better home base when the job opportunity is there.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.