IRELAND IS THE fifth most expensive country to live in the EU, despite having the lowest inflation in Europe between 2009 and 2013.
That is the finding of the CSO report Measuring Ireland’s Progress 2013.
The fifth place finish in Europe is an improvement on 2009, when Ireland was the second most expensive state in the union.
The stats show that Ireland’s price levels were the fifth highest in the EU28, behind Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg.
Between 2004 and 2009 price levels for final consumption by private households in Ireland were about 25% above the EU average, with a spike in 2008 when our prices levels were about 30% above the EU average.
However price levels in Ireland fell in 2010 to 18.1% above the EU average and have increased slightly since then to stand at 20% more than the EU average in 2013.
Here’s how that compares with Europe:
The figures show that Ireland had the seventh-highest unemployment rate in the EU28 in the timespan.
They also report that Irish productivity was 36% higher than the EU average in 2013.
As Irish employees work longer hours, the productivity per hour worked is relatively lower, but was still 22% above the EU average and the seventh highest in the EU.
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