Hidden costs

Hidden cost differentials have to be considered when choosing a place to study.

Numbeo, the world’s biggest internet database on the cost of living, estimates that consumer prices in Sligo are 15 percent lower than in Dublin and 5.5 percent lower than Galway.

Over the course of an academic year it’s estimated a student in IT Sligo will spend approximately € 1,575 on food – including weekly shop, breakfast, lunch etc. The exact same annual bill in Dublin would cost € 1,811 or € 1,661 in Galway.

There’s even a significant difference in terms of the cost of clothes and shoes.

According to Numbeo. com a pair of jeans in Dublin costs, on average, € 77.49 compared with € 60 in Sligo. And while a pair of Nike Running shoes will set you back € 71.67 in Sligo the price will be nearer € 80.87 in the capital.

When it comes to education it’s imperative that students can learn in a comfortable environment where they eat and sleep well. At IT Sligo the burden of costs is lightened allowing students to thrive in a charming environment where the euro goes further.

When parents sit down at their kitchen tables with their calculators these are factors they should consider.

When parents sit down at their kitchen tables with their calculators these are factors they should consider.

* Averages of cost of living figures provided by University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology and Dublin City University

** Average of cost of living figures provided by National University College Galway and the Galway and Mayo Institute of Technology

*** Figures provided by IT Sligo