Cost of Living

Read more articles about the cost of living from your personal finances to the global economy

How big should your pension pot be?

‘The real question is whether someone knows what income they personally need in retirement, based on their lifestyle’

Irish inflation falls to 3.4% in June

Latest Consumer Price Index was compiled before the current tit-for-tat attacks between US and Iran

TDs lobby for budget tax package and increase on Help-to-Buy ceiling

Tánaiste to discuss escalation of Middle East hostilities with fellow EU finance ministers

Global economy caught between competing forces of Iran war and AI

IMF says two forces are pushing global economy in opposite directions as it cuts euro zone growth outlook

‘How can An Post be so arrogant?’ The gift that got ‘stuck in Portlaoise’

Mary was close to giving up all hope of receiving the piece of jewellery she bought for her niece

McDonald’s to Chapter One: which restaurants passed the VAT cut on to customers?

Cut makes no distinction between tiny restaurants struggling to put food on the table and the giants of global fast food

Buoyant tax receipts provide cover for runaway State spending

General government expenditure has jumped by 54 per cent since 2019

Strong tax returns of €50bn strengthen Government’s budgetary position

Latest half-year exchequer numbers indicate State collected €7.5bn in corporate tax last month

Gas network charges could increase as customers decline

Regulators seek feedback on likely natural gas charges

Budget 2027 must reflect the real cost of living

The Government’s next budget should provide meaningful support for people struggling with rising costs

Euro zone inflation falls more than expected to 2.8% in June

Price growth remains above central bank’s target for fourth straight month

Rising living costs weigh on Irish holiday spending plans, survey finds

One in five Irish consumers say they cannot afford a holiday this year

Irish inflation moderates to 3.3% as Lane warns about second-round effects

Global tensions easing and energy prices dropping slows rate of increase

Does the Irish hospitality sector still need VAT rate cut?

Cost to the taxpayer is expected to be more than €230m this year and in excess of €680m for a full year

Policy discipline needed to tackle economic pressure points

On AI, a growing reliance on debt amplifies risks, making the sector more vulnerable to abrupt corrections

Cuts to fuel taxes won’t be fully reversed until after Budget, Coalition leaders decide

Cuts are due to expire at end of July, with Taoiseach and Tánaiste saying there will be no ‘cliff edge’

Grocery inflation dips under 5%, new figures suggest

Concern that impact of Middle East conflict has yet to fully filter through supply chain, which could mean higher prices later this summer

Europe risks starting winter with gas stocks at 15-year low

Storage facilities in the EU are not being refilled fast enough ahead of colder months

From axe-throwing to augmented darts: what’s behind the rise in ‘competitive socialising’?

Arcades used to primarily be the preserve of children’s birthday parties, but a changing attitude to socialising means games are no longer just for kids

Cost of kids: 14 ways having three children can add up to more than €800,000

Our assessent of how much it costs to have a child in Ireland today and rear them until they reach age 21

Targeted supports more critical amid a gradual economic slowdown

Marginal reduction in IT employment is probably one of the first manifestations of AI influencing the economy

‘It gives me the shivers to think what may happen if I can’t manage,’ my mother told a newspaper in 1981

I recall a picture in a newspaper of my mother years ago, only to unearth it and find the story behind it as real today as it was back in 1981

AI boom to put gloss on domestic Irish economy despite rising inflation, says ESRI

Think tank has raised its forecasts for inflation, driven by soaring energy prices due to ‘fluid’ situation in the Gulf

Expectation on fuel-duty decision shows how hard it is to unwind cost-of-living supports

Inside Politics: Staying safe in Europe during the heatwave, and claims Occupied Territories Bill has been designed to avoid ‘annoying the Americans’

Up to 80% of parents believe children negatively affected by cost-of-living crisis

Barnardos survey finds 30% of respondents did not have enough food to feed children at some point over last year

Counting the eye-watering cost of being single

Census data indicate as many as one in four Irish adults live in single-person households. It’s a high-priced way of life

Look under the hood. There are ‘echoes of 2006’ in the Irish economy

Trump says Iran peace deal has averted ‘worldwide depression’ but closer to home experts worry prices will continue to rise regardless

What happens Ireland’s petrol and diesel prices and energy costs after US-Iran peace deal?

Iran war breakthrough means further conflict and prolonged disruption of energy supplies less likely

Energy price shock to squeeze Irish wage growth this year, says Central Bank

Global oil and gas prices now unlikely to return to more normal levels despite putative Middle East peace deal

Worst of Iran war-related price hikes yet to hit, conference hears

While inflation has eased, underlying pressures remain intense

Ticketmaster tale leaves some concerned

Readers give their own perspective on story: ‘Ireland’s high ticket prices are linked to professional resellers’

Why the Irish are bad savers, and the lottery copies an advert from NZ

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

‘It just absolutely baffles me’: How Ireland’s ‘single tax’ hurts at weddings as well as on mortgages

Death, taxes and ... attending weddings – the financial penalties imposed for remaining single

Consumers spend less in clothes shops – but second-hand spending up 197%

Entertainment spend was up 6%, partially driven by strong growth in cinemas with sales up 53%, figures from AIB show

Irish Rail staff ‘appeared openly shocked by conditions’ aboard overheating train

‘Passengers became visibly lethargic’ as carriage overheated during record temperatures, a reader says

The Iran deal removes a big economic risk for Ireland – if it holds

The deal will ease some pressure on households and the Government but problems will remain

Revolut sent Elaine’s money to the wrong person, who didn’t return it

Reader says app ignored the recipient saved in her contacts and prompted a random person with the same user name

Budget 2027: Tax changes for workers and more affordable childcare set to be priorities

National Economic Dialogue event will hear childcare and tax moves central to next budget

In my early 30s, I realised I was lonely. Could a dating-style app help me make friends?

When my social circle thinned, I decided to do something Irish men rarely do: actively look for new friends

‘I am terrified about the winter coming’: One in seven now behind on electricity bills

Almost 319,000 homes in arrears with electricity bills by the end of March, says energy regulator

Higher-income Irish households benefit twice as much from fuel supports, ESRI finds

Measures reduce immediate cost increases by about half, but do not fully offset regressive nature of energy inflation, report says

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Stardust

Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people

Common Ground

How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands