This is how much you need to earn for an acceptable standard of living in Ireland

Do you earn less or more than the living wage?

Irish people need to earn just short of €450 a week for an acceptable standard of living in this country, according to a study by the Living Wage Technical Group. According to the Irish Times, new research to be published this morning will indicate that a person needs to be earning a minimum of €11.50 an hour to be able to afford an acceptable standard of living, an increase of five cents on the figure from last year. That figure of €11.50 is nearly €3 higher than the minimum wage of €8.65 an hour in Ireland and is determined by a number of everyday expenses, such as accomodation, food, transport and other services, The Living Wage Technical Group is made up experts from the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, trade unions and other groups and was established in Ireland is last year, following the example of similar groups in other countries. Rising rent costs in Dublin are believed to be behind the slight increase on last year's figure, although the research also noted reductions in the cost of health insurance, transportation and food prices over the last year.