Dublin
73 Reviews by Students #2 out of 11 University locations
The prices to live anywhere in dublin are extortionate. There is some great places to shop and to eat, but they tend to be quite expensive. There are some good student deals though
By member1168287 on 18th April 2022
Study in Dublin
In the picturesque capital city of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin, you’ll find Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and Technological University Dublin.
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Dublin City University
Dublin City University is on a leafy campus located on the Northside of Dublin. It became a university in 1989 and they put an emphasis on being a research intensive university. They have six academic schools offering students a range of subjects to study in their state-of-the-art and award winning facilities.
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Trinity College Dublin
Located in the heart of Dublin’s city centre, Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s highest ranked university. Many famous names have studied at the university including writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. Home to over 18,000 students, Trinity College offers courses in the following disciplines, arts and humanities, business, law, engineering, science and health sciences.
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University College Dublin
University College Dublin has a community of over 30,000 students from 136 different countries that study across six academic schools. The university’s main campus in Dublin is set on 133 hectares of parkland estate and offers world-leading facilities such as a Centre for Science, School of Law, School of Business and much more.
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Technological University Dublin
Technological University Dublin (TUD), Ireland’s first technological university offers their 28,000 students a practice-based environment informed by the latest research and enabled by technological advances. The university focuses on courses being career-based and provide courses in science, the arts, business, engineering and technology.
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Dublin Student Life
Over 100,000 students descend on the city each year, so you can expect to be well catered for. If you love the mix of culture and history combined with a cosmopolitan city and a few swigs of Guinness for good measure, then Dublin will suit you just fine.
Cost of Living in Dublin
The average price for:
A cheap meal at a restaurant: £15.50
A pint of beer: £5.50
A regular takeout coffee: £3.39
1L of milk: £1.04
A loaf of white bread: £1.43
The cost of living is high in Dublin, second only to London and Bath, according to Numbeo. It's about 8% higher than in Edinburgh and 21% higher than in Belfast.
Nights Out in Dublin
If there is one thing that Dublin is known for, it’s incredible nights out. Seriously… people travel far and wide to get a taste of the Guinness and then everything that follows after that! Some institutions which are favourites among students and that you will likely frequent are Dicey’s, Copper Face Jacks and Pygmalion. For some more serious clubbing, there’s Opium Live, Izakaya and D-Two’s. This is just scratching the surface; whatever nightlife you are into, you will be able to find it in Dublin.
Public Transport in Dublin
Getting around Dublin is easy and there is a range of different modes of transport to choose from. Firstly, it’s essential to get a student travel card which will give you discounts for Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Luas System (the Luas is a light rail system). There’s also Dublin Bikes which is an easy way to get around the city centre: you pick them up and dock them at designated stations.
Eating Out in Dublin
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Mexican Restaurants
Mondays in Dublin is burrito discount day! You’ll find more than one Mexican restaurant offering students money off a tasty burrito. There’s Mamas Revenge or go to Little Ass Burrito Bar which offers €6 on all burritos, tacos, boxes and quesadillas.
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When it comes to finding a good pizza, Dublin has plenty of options. However, one favourite is the delicious wood-fired pizzas from Dublin Pizza Company. They have 3 sites across the city; look out for their student deals too.
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The Mongolian BBQ is a favourite among Dublin students when you are looking to have a delicious meal but don’t want to break the bank. Expect tasty ingredients, sauces and spices all cooked on a Mongolian grill. Students get discounts off-peak and there is an all-you-can-eat buffet for €15.90.
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Shopping in Dublin
Whether you are looking for high street, independent, designer or vintage shopping, Dublin has you covered. For a cheap and cheerful market, there is Liberty Market, for your favourite high street shops head to Dundrum shopping centre and if you are ready to spend the big bucks, Brown Thomas houses all the designer labels. Drury Street is great for local independent boutiques, whilst if you are a bookworm, head to Hodges Figgis which is Ireland’s oldest bookshop, founded in 1768.
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The Great Outdoors
Just a 75-minute drive from Dublin is Glendalough and here you can find the Wicklow Mountains which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s the ideal way to take a day off from the studies, hike in the fresh mountain air and take in the stunning scenery.
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A 25-minute train ride from Dublin will find you in the picturesque fishing village of Howth. Do the Howth Cliff Walk along the coast and reward yourself with some fish & chips after, which are best eaten on the bay.
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The largest park in Dublin (it’s five times the size of Hyde Park!). It’s the best place to get some peace and quiet from the busy streets of the city. The park is the official residence of the President of Ireland, has a herd of deer, Dublin Zoo, a 22-acre flower garden and so much more!
Top 10 Dublin Accommodation
Read Dublin Reviews
Enjoy college in...
Enjoy college in Dublin but the cost of living is so high that it really affects the experience students can have in college. read more
Ucd surrounded by...
Ucd surrounded by Excellent public transport , fun campus with diverse people and awesome nights out. Some lovely places to eat around here too. Altogether excellent. read more
My educational ex...
My educational experience has been a mix of both beauty and rigor. Being an international student who was a first time traveler outside the borders of her country, Nigeria, I have had to consistently adapt to the changing environment, the culture, the way of life and the educational system here in Dublin, Ireland. I was privileged to be awarded a 50% scholarship for my masters at University College Dublin to pursue an MSc in Finance, which has been my dream for a long time now. Overall, I would say I have been able to adapt and build my resilience each time a challenge comes my way and it has shown me how much I can achieve as an individual and I am continuously proud of myself each time. UCD is an amazing school that pushes you to be more than you are and stretches you completely. I had to learn and utilize all parts of my brain on the spot on so many occasions because there is just so much wealth of knowledge that the lecturers have and are always willing to pour on the students. read more
Vibrant small cit...
Vibrant small city with everything within walking distance. read more
I loved Dublin, e...
I loved Dublin, especially because of the people I met there and the overall experience. However I have to admit it is really expensive, especially rent. Thankfully it is really easy to explore by foot as public transport is also expensive and not really reliable. Nevertheless, the international community there, the amazing restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs are so worth it! read more
Nice city, trying...
Nice city, trying it’s best to become more affordable read more
Dublin is full wi...
Dublin is full with activities specially during the weekend read more
Many problems aro...
Many problems around the city that go unaddressed by the government. read more
Expensive and dep...
Expensive and depending where you are the public transport is terrible for a capital city especially at night or rush hour. Cycling is dangerous and I wouldn't advise it. Very friendly people, lots of green spaces, full of history and things to do and quite safe otherwise. read more
Rent is high, I l...
Rent is high, I love the city, I would need an Abercrombie and an Apple Store read more
Beautiful city bu...
Beautiful city but very very expensive read more
I come from a ver...
I come from a very car centric area of the USA, and having everything so close and walkable has not only made everything convenient, but physically healthier read more
Overall high cost...
Overall high cost of living and not some many places for going out as you'd expect. But, the city is beautiful and the people are kind and friendly read more
It is costly but...
It is costly but doable. The people here are good and loving. read more
Good city & easy...
Good city & easy to get around however it is expensive read more
Convenient place...
Convenient place and easy to get anywhere read more
Dublin is expensi...
Dublin is expensive. For 500-600 a month you're lucky to find a shared room. Eating out is pricey. Going out is fun but pints are 5-6 euros even outside of temple bar. Public transport stops running early. read more
Honestly if you l...
Honestly if you love a city, fast paced, and lively area Dublin is the city for you. read more
I love living in...
I love living in Dublin. There are a lot of good options for activities and transport to get there. read more
Dublin is a very...
Dublin is a very expensive city, if you are an international student from a middle class background you absolutely need a part-time job to keep afloat read more
Dublin is sooooo...
Dublin is sooooo expensive. Rents are over the top for places that are not worth it. Food-wise, it is amazing. It is both safe and unsafe depending on time and space parameters. read more
I really enjoyed...
I really enjoyed my time at Trinity. It was academically stimulating, however I would not recommend it to someone who enjoys a very immersive learning experience. There is a lot of independent study. Although two years of my experience were tampered with through covid, I still have the best 4 years of my life! read more
Really expensive...
Really expensive cost of living. Great city, good nightlife and great outdoor spots for summers. A little unsafe in terms of drug junkies and teenage harassers, but that is limited to selective parts of the city. read more
I loved the city,...
I loved the city, unfortunately the night life is expensive and the public transport is not that efficient. Moreover the cost of living and the cost of rent is crazy. read more
Very good with ev...
Very good with everything the overall experience was fantastic read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is high apart from that it has amazing experience read more
this is dublin. g...
this is dublin. great city overall. but cost of living is really high read more
Great city to liv...
Great city to live in, great student life, lovely people, very international, good craic read more
great city but fa...
great city but far too expensive for student and everyone in general. its far too expensive for no good reasons at all read more
Dublin is expensi...
Dublin is expensive and it is challenging to find accomodation. However, there is a great range of bars and restaurants to choose from read more
Great capital cit...
Great capital city. Plenty to do read more
The public transp...
The public transport is often do you have to wait hours sometimes for your bus. There are so many places where you can go shopping for a good quality clothes anyways the night out are pretty expensive for students that don’t have any job I can say the same thing about eating out in most of the places and the cost of living it atrocious. read more
Dublin is a cool...
Dublin is a cool busy city with plenty to do read more
The prices to liv...
The prices to live anywhere in dublin are extortionate. There is some great places to shop and to eat, but they tend to be quite expensive. There are some good student deals though read more
Expensive but a g...
Expensive but a great city lots of shops and things to do read more
I did not live he...
I did not live here while in college read more
Very expensive pr...
Very expensive probably unreasonable for students but there’s great stuff to do read more
I’m a Dubliner so...
I’m a Dubliner so it was grand, living at home during college kinda sucks but I guess that’s just life now. read more
Good fun but just...
Good fun but just lacks in cheap nights out read more
Public transport...
Public transport is convenient for me because it brings me straight to school from my accommodation, but it’s not as reliable for everyone in Dublin. read more
Dublin is obvious...
Dublin is obviously expensive, which can limit students in things like eating out. I definitely didn’t do much of that while in college. Nights out were good, I originally put 4 stars but the nights out I’ve been on in UCC, NUIG and UL have definitely been much better. And students from these colleges agree. Shopping (clothes and bits) is handy, big food shops near UCD though are few and far between - Tesco in the Merrion or Lidl in Dundrum read more
Pretty expensive...
Pretty expensive overall, but there are hidden gems. Good public transport system. read more
Great city lots t...
Great city lots to do. But accommodation is unaffordable. read more
Dublin is a great...
Dublin is a great city. Very friendly people, good shopping and quite safe. Public transport is not great though and very high cost of living. read more
Do not come unles...
Do not come unless you're disgustingly rich. This is a clearly ill city that will eventually collapse due to the poor quality-cost of life ratio. Then it might be good to come, but for now, I do not recommend it at all. The salaries are comparatively low and the cost of life is monstrously high. There's a lot of social issues, and you will see junkies and drunks freely roaming any street at any time of the day. You will see problems outside any pub at any time. The public transport is a joke, buses are never on time, and Luas are extortionately expensive. read more
The city of Dubli...
The city of Dublin is not that bad overall read more
Public transport...
Public transport started at 7am, a bit late for my taste. Also ended farely early read more
Expensive housing...
Expensive housing, food cost is alright. read more
Dublin is a good...
Dublin is a good city but unfortunately expensive in terms of accommodation. read more
I like dublin a l...
I like dublin a lot, but it’s very expensive read more
Can we please fin...
Can we please find a solution for the rising prices? read more
Dublin is a combi...
Dublin is a combination of fun, elegance, technology and nature. read more
Very nice. I like...
Very nice. I like this city but sometimes it smells bad and very expensive. Mostly if you don’t have a salary to support your living costs. read more
Very nice city bu...
Very nice city but too expensive, and the public transport is the most expensive of all things. read more
Going out look to...
Going out look to expensive and noisy in comparison with the benefit read more
Dublin is a great...
Dublin is a great city but very expensive for a student living up. The night life is great and there’s lots to do read more
love it here! jus...
love it here! just don't love the bus system read more
Lovely friendly t...
Lovely friendly town with lots of amenities read more
Nice city with a...
Nice city with a lot to do. Easy to navigate read more
Dublin is a great...
Dublin is a great place to live, but far too expensive and the cost of living is very high. There is lots to do and see in the city, and is well linked by affordable public transport. read more
Dublin is expensi...
Dublin is expensive and not the nicest city but there is plenty to see and do. read more
Dublin is so expe...
Dublin is so expenses but very confortable to go out and hang out with friends read more
Living in Dublin...
Living in Dublin is extremely expensive, since I lived during the lockdown I cannot share information about the price of nightlife or restaurants in the city. read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is so high. So many students cannot afford to live anymore. read more
Dublin is quite a...
Dublin is quite an expensive city but there are loads of shopping centres, pub, restaurants and clubs. read more
Great small town...
Great small town that has okay public transport to get to UCD. Friendly atmosphere. read more
Living costs rema...
Living costs remain a massive problem for students, especially in the south of the city near UCD. Nightlife is great but expensive. Public transport provides good access to the city but can be unreliable at times read more
Dublin although i...
Dublin although it’s expensive it’s a great place to live read more
Compared to other...
Compared to other places I have lived, I feel that Dublin is underwhelming. It may be a nice place to visit, but I don't feel that it lives up to its expectations in many aspects. The high price of living is the biggest issue, followed by the (relative) lack of variety in services/shops, which is understandable due to a smaller population and therefore less demand, but it still doesn't really do justice for the people living here. read more
Beautiful place t...
Beautiful place to live and enjoy the life read more
Nice city, not ex...
Nice city, not exactly clean but ok. read more
Great place to li...
Great place to live, good night life read more
Great city, amazi...
Great city, amazing access to public transport and constantly maintaining a safe, welcoming and light-hearted atmosphere. read more