WELL-GROOMED Dublin men will be concerned to learn that they are expected to pay almost 50 per cent more than their country cousins for a simple wash, cut and blow dry, according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The average cost of a man’s wash, cut and blow dry in Dublin is €26.93 – 44.7 per cent more than the €18.60 it costs outside the capital. Women in Dublin, meanwhile, pay an average of €36.60 to get their hair done, 20.7 per cent more than elsewhere.
The CSO figures show that Dubliners continue to pay more than consumers in the rest of the country for everyday items and that the gap has widened in the last six months. An average basket of goods and services in Dublin cost 4.9 per cent more than outside the city last month – the gap six months ago was 4.3 per cent.
The cost of a pub visit is much higher in Dublin, where revellers spend an average of 9.7 per cent more on their nights out. A pint of stout costs €4.22 in the capital on average, compared to €3.85 in the rest of the State. A small bottle of wine, meanwhile, which costs €5.05 in Dublin, is €4.71 elsewhere, 5 per cent less. The average price of a pint of lager in Dublin is 13.4 per cent more.
The difference between alcohol prices in off-licences throughout the State is negligible, however, and Dublin actually works out cheaper for certain drinks, including sherry and lager.
Petrol and diesel prices are 1.5 per cent dearer in Dublin. In May, the average price of a litre of petrol in the capital was €1.26, compared with €1.24 elsewhere.
Average diesel prices in Dublin, meanwhile, were €1.34, while in other parts of the State, the average price was €1.31.
Of the 79 items included in the CSO analysis, 49 were more expensive in Dublin, two had the same price and 28 items were cheaper. Virtually all fruit and vegetables cost more in Dublin while a medium-sized chicken cost an additional 20 per cent.
Among the items that were cheaper in the capital were plaice fillets, which cost 9.5 per cent less. Lamb and round steak cost just over 5 per cent less while a litre of full-fat milk was 5 per cent cheaper.
The survey also found that there was a lower variation in Dublin prices. In the capital, the five highest prices quoted were on average 67.8 per cent higher than the corresponding five lowest prices. The equivalent gap outside Dublin was 130.7 per cent.
