The Fernshore Index
The factors retirees look at first.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Retirement
50 of 100Mixed
Mixed. Stamp 0 for people of independent means exists (an individual income of about EUR 50,000 a year, access to a lump sum such as the price of a home, private medical cover, no State benefits, no age minimum stated), but it is a renewable permission: the official page names no step to permanent residence, and the Department of Justice has said Stamp 0 time is not intended to count towards long-term residence or citizenship (2018 answer). To be safe, have more than EUR 51,000 a year.
Source: I want to retire to Ireland; Dail written answer 191, Naturalisation Eligibility, 9 October 2018. Checked 16 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023). Expat Insider 2026 ranks Ireland last of 31 for the availability of medical care, which this index does not measure.
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 16 October 2026.
Cost of living
20 of 100Weak
Price level 0.848 of United States prices (2025), over the 0.75 line.
Source: Price level index (GDP), Ireland. Checked 16 October 2026.
Safety
76 of 100Strong
Global Peace Index 2026: 5th of 163 (score 1.371).
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 16 October 2026.
Community
74 of 100Strong
Expat Insider 2026: 8th of 31 for Ease of Settling In (13th for Finding Friends).
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 16 October 2026.
Climate
8 of 100Weak
Dublin Airport (Met Eireann, 1991-2020): 2 comfortable months a year (July 19.5 C and August 19.1 C). June (17.7 C) and September (16.9 C) are under the 18 C line; no month is over 30 C and rain is under 150 mm in every month.
Source: Dublin Airport 1991-2020 averages. Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
The rest of the research on Ireland.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
IrelandQuestions from retirees about Ireland.
Which Irish permission is meant for retirees, and what does it ask for?
Stamp 0 for people of independent means asks for an individual yearly income, access to a lump sum such as the price of a home, finances certified by an Irish accountancy firm and private medical insurance with full cover. To be safe, more than €51,000 a year. No age minimum is stated.
Can a retiree on Stamp 0 work, claim State benefits or use public hospitals?
The immigration service says a Stamp 0 holder must be fully self-sufficient, cannot receive benefits or use publicly funded services (for example be treated at a public hospital), and must hold private medical insurance. Work or business is barred unless a letter of permission from the service says otherwise.
How long does the retiree permission last, and can it lead to permanent residence?
The official page gives no length for the permission and no step to permanent residence; renewal is by form, about four months. The Long Term Residency page does not count Stamp 0 time, and a 2018 ministerial answer says it is not meant to count towards citizenship; naturalisation stays discretionary.
How is a foreign pension taxed if I retire to Ireland?
Revenue says foreign pensions, including UK and US pensions, are generally taxable in Ireland under income tax and USC but not PRSI; foreign State pensions are not liable to USC. Some are not taxable if they would be tax-free in the paying country. Income tax is 20% to €44,000 for a single person, then 40% (2026).
What do costs and healthcare look like for retirees in Ireland?
Prices overall are about 0.85 of US prices (World Bank, 2025). New-tenancy rents averaged €2,301 in Dublin City and €1,903 in Cork City (RTB, Q1 2026). WHO's coverage index is 82 of 100 (2023), but expats rank Ireland last of 31 for availability of medical care (Expat Insider 2026). Private cover prices are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [R1] I want to retire to Ireland, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (irishimmigration.ie). Checked 16 October 2026. irishimmigration.ie refuses automated access (HTTP 403), so the page was read from the Internet Archive copy of 1 September 2026 (page last updated 25 June 2026; an earlier copy of 8 October 2025, last updated 8 May 2025, has the same figures). The permission is Stamp 0 for people of independent means. 'You should have an individual income of EUR 50,000 per year. You must also have access to a lump sum of money to cover any sudden major expenses. This lump sum should be equal to, for example, the price of a residential dwelling in the State.' Finances must be certified by an Irish accountancy firm and are 'in the form of pension income or readily accessible funds'; private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals is required; the holder cannot access State benefits. Visa-required nationals also need a D-Reside visa. No age minimum is stated. Renewal is by the TPER renewal form. Average processing time four months. The page gives no length of permission and no step to permanent residence.
- [R2] Dail written answer 191, Naturalisation Eligibility, 9 October 2018, Minister for Justice and Equality, Houses of the Oireachtas. Checked 16 October 2026. oireachtas.ie shows a CAPTCHA to automated requests, so the answer was read from the Oireachtas open data record (https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2018-10-09/writtens/mul@/main.xml) on 16 October 2026. The Minister says 'a permission on Stamp 0 conditions is a low level immigration status which is not intended to be reckonable for long term residence or citizenship', and that any person may still apply for naturalisation, which is at the Minister's absolute discretion. It is an eight-year-old answer; a newer official statement was not found.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 16 October 2026. Ireland: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED, spatial code IRL) on 16 October 2026; 82 also in 2021, 81 in 2022. The index measures service coverage, not waiting times or whether care is available when needed.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Ireland, World Bank. Checked 16 October 2026. 2025: 84.85 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 16 October 2026; 80.19 in 2024. Ireland is the highest price level of the countries researched so far.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 16 October 2026. Ireland ranks 5th of 163 countries, score 1.371 (the ranking table in the report PDF, read on 16 October 2026).
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 16 October 2026. Ireland is 8th of 31 destinations in the Ease of Settling In index, read on 16 October 2026. The same page says Ireland ranks 13th for Finding Friends. A private survey of expats; 31 destinations met the 50-respondent minimum.
- [W1] Dublin Airport 1991-2020 averages, Met Eireann (Irish national meteorological service). Checked 16 October 2026. Met Eireann's 30-year climate averages page (https://www.met.ie/climate/30-year-averages) links this table, read on 16 October 2026. Mean daily maximum (C): Jan 8.0, Feb 8.5, Mar 10.1, Apr 12.3, May 14.8, Jun 17.7, Jul 19.5, Aug 19.1, Sep 16.9, Oct 13.6, Nov 10.3, Dec 8.3. Mean temperature runs 5.2 (January) to 15.4 (July). Monthly rainfall 51.4 to 82.7 mm, under 150 mm in every month. Dublin Airport is the station for the capital, which the program takes as the main city. Met Eireann publishes 1991-2020 averages for only seven stations (Dublin Airport, Casement, Cork Airport, Shannon Airport, Belmullet, Malin Head, Valentia). Dublin fits none of the three weather types (mean temperature range 10.2 C, under the 12 C 'seasons' line; coolest month's high 8.0 C, under the 12 C 'mild' line), so the climate list is empty, which counts as a known non-match (program decision of 16 October 2026).