Which is a better place to live and work - Dublin or Belfast?

Question

I know this is very stereotypical but I always imagine Belfast to be a bit dirty. I've never been to either place, I'm originally from England and want to temporarily move to Ireland for a year or more with my boyfriend and live and work there.

Which place would you recommend more, and why? I've had a look at places to live and work in Dublin and I'm sure I'd get a job pretty quickly, what is work like in Belfast? Would it be easy to find a job? Which is the cheaper place to live in? Which is better in terms of shopping and nightlife and living in general?

Answer 1

dublin!

Answer 2

Belfast, Dublin is stupid expensive

Answer 3

I'm English too and several years ago before the Celtic tiger I would have said Dublin - Now I think Belfast is best  as you can go to  to see Dublin a lot as the train is cheap and fast.

Dublin is quirkier but the infrastructure cant keep up with the huge increase in population and there are massive hold ups on the roads.

I think Belfast is the cleaner of the two, I also think now that it is the friendlier of the two.

There is a load of status nonsense going down in the South.

Ina  way we are more interesting now because of the peace process, so its safe and the differences are getting quirky too.

Why do you want ot live in a city Ireland is rural and beautiful you could live in the country and get into work by car easy peasy.

Answer 4

You need to see Belfast before making a sweeping statement like "I always imagine Belfast to be a bit dirty."

Belfast is a thriving metropolitan city with a broad spectrum of ethnic and racial groups. I'm not saying that Dublin is the opposite - Dublin would probably win hands down in a competition but Belfast is still growing and has a good low cost of living.

There is plenty of night-life, restaurants, pubs, bars etc and we do quite well with cinemas as well.

I'm not trying to sound biased (I live just outside Belfast) but I would prefer to live in Belfast than in Dublin.

Even the transport infrastructure has improved greatly in Northern Ireland...

VAT in Belfast is the same as the rest of the UK, 17.5%. I think that it's about 21% in the Republic of Ireland. Plus, Dublin is probably a lot closer to London for prices and rent. Belfast is still inexpensive...

Answer 5

That is a common stereotype that many people in England have of Belfast, but in fact, Belfast is a very clean, modern city.  I been to far worse, and more dangerous places in England!

Each city has its pros and cons.  I have lived in both cities and I love both of them equally.  Dublin has more

hustle and bustle" I find. The buses and footpaths were always jam packed, even on Sundays!  I took trains during rush hour from Belfast down to Portadown, and there were not packed like the DART (suburban rail system) was in Dublin.  There are more shops, pubs, cinemas, etc in Dublin.  But, it may be beneficial to you to live in Belfast, as you would be earning in sterling.  Nevertheless, as Belfast is not as big and spead out as Dublin is, jobs may be harder to come by- depending on your experience and qualifications, of course.  

In sum, Belfast is quieter, safer (yes, safer!), and cheaper to live in than Dublin; but Dublin has more pubs, clubs, shops, and activities.  Also, Dublin is more centrally located to tour around Ireland in your leisure time.

Answer 6

belfast- cheaper to live in , not as much taxes and free healthcre and schooling for children !

Answer 7

I think that Belfast is a cheaper place to live, I’ve worked in both and Dublin (for me) was the better, whilst they both have there charms, I think that with Dublin’s multicultural attitude it is easier to fit in and the night life was great……..but visit Belfast when you move over and you’ll understand what I mean…….Belfast is a great city…..but compared to Dublin….Dublin would get my vote every time

Answer 8

Ive been to both and i would have to say Dublin if you dont mine how busy it is. Belfast is still semi-dangerous and very dirty. The people are great in both places, but personally i loved dublin.

Answer 9

i live inbelfast and it certainly isnt dirty! its so different to what it used to be and is such a beautiful city. i used to love dublin but its soo expensive now and every flippin time i go i get at least something stolen. the irish humor that used to be there is definately deteriorating as nobody in dublin is irish anymore! its quite sad cuz its such a lovely looking place. if i were you really, id go to neither. like the other guy said galway is amazing. the west of ireland is just so beautiful. hard choice to make but if u go to dublin u may aswel stay in city in england.

Answer 10

Neither, they are both cold, smell and not very nice places.

Answer 11

DUBLIN

Answer 12

dublin has far and away the more job options, better pay too, in that regard it simply blows belfast out of the water, most of the worlds top IT companies have a base in dublin; but dublin is more expensive to live in

why not try galway, much nicer city than either dublin or belfast