Investment
Concierge vs DIY: What an Ireland Relocation Actually Costs
The DIY route to Ireland looks cheaper on a spreadsheet. Here's what the honest ledger looks like once double rent, missed deadlines, and rework are counted.
"We'll just figure it out ourselves" is a reasonable-sounding sentence that has cost more than one US family north of €20,000 they didn't budget for. Not because Ireland is unusually expensive to move to — but because international relocation is a sequential process with hard deadlines, and missing one triggers the next.
This is the honest comparison. We're not going to pretend concierge is always cheaper — it isn't. We're going to show where the DIY costs come from, so the comparison is fair.
The obvious costs both sides pay
Some costs are unavoidable regardless of approach: shipping (€3,000–€12,000 depending on volume and route), flights, temporary accommodation on arrival, first-month living costs, visa application fees, legal fees for the visa route, and Irish tax advisory for the first year.
Together these usually land between €12,000 and €25,000 for a single person or couple, and €18,000 to €40,000 for a family with children. Coordinated or DIY, these numbers don't move much.
Where the hidden DIY costs come from
The costs that separate a €20,000 move from a €40,000 move don't appear in anyone's initial spreadsheet. They emerge from three patterns:
- Double rent. Signing an Irish lease from the US with a move date that slips by six weeks: €3,000–€6,000 wasted.
- Wrong-order banking. Trying to open an Irish account before the PPSN issues: 3–6 weeks lost, sometimes forcing an emergency wire from the US at unfavorable rates.
- Tax filing gaps. Missing an Irish preliminary tax deadline in year one, or filing US foreign-earned income exclusion incorrectly: penalty fees plus 6–10 hours of remedial work from your CPA at €250+/hour.
- School enrollment misses. Applying too late to fee-paying schools and accepting a longer commute or a different educational fit than planned: not a line-item cost, but a household-quality cost.
- Insurance overlap or gap. Cancelling US health insurance before Irish cover starts, or paying for both: €500–€2,000.
- Furniture and setup rush-buying. Arriving without a plan and buying at retail instead of secondhand or lead-time discount: €2,000–€5,000.
Your specific situation
A 30-minute Discovery Call is the fastest way to pressure-test any of this against your move.
What coordinated actually costs
A coordinated relocation programme with SettleDone runs €4,500–€16,500 depending on scope (personal, family, founder-with-entity, complete). That fee covers the coordination — the planning, sequencing, provider introductions, weekly progress, escalation, and single-point accountability. It doesn't cover the external costs above; those are paid directly to the providers doing the work.
So the fair comparison isn't €0 vs €10,000. It's the €10,000 coordination fee against the sum of double rent, banking delays, tax rework, and rushed decisions you probably didn't budget for.
Where DIY genuinely wins
If you have unlimited time, a friend or family member in Ireland doing the on-the-ground work, and you're relocating for a straightforward visa route (Stamp 4 spouse, Critical Skills with employer support) — DIY works. Many people do it. The cost is time and a higher stress ceiling, not money.
DIY also wins when the move is simple: single professional, no children, no company, no US tax complications, employer-sponsored visa. That profile is under 30% of the people who reach out to us.
The honest verdict
A well-coordinated relocation saves money for most families and founders. For a single professional with a sponsoring employer, it saves time and stress but might not save cash.
The right question isn't which is cheaper — it's what's the cost of the wrong decision at the wrong time. A missed school deadline you can't unmiss. A tax election you can't unelect. Six weeks of double rent. Those are the ledger items to compare against a coordination fee, not the €0 line.
If you'd like the honest version applied to your situation, that's exactly what a Discovery Call is. Thirty minutes, no cost, and we'll be straight about whether coordination pays for itself for your move.
Frequently asked
How much does a SettleDone package cost?
Programmes start at €4,500 (Personal Relocation) and scale to €16,500 (Complete Relocation & Business Expansion). The fee covers coordination only — external costs (legal, immigration, government, letting, insurance) are paid directly to the providers doing the work.
What's included in a coordination fee vs paid separately?
Included: planning, sequencing, provider introductions, weekly progress meetings, escalation, single point of contact. Paid separately: visa application fees, legal fees, immigration counsel, letting agent fees, government charges, tax advisory, shipping.
Can I use SettleDone for just part of the move?
Yes. The Relocation & Expansion Blueprint (€1,500) is a paid standalone plan that many people use to decide whether to take on the full move themselves or engage a managed programme.
Is the Discovery Call really free?
Yes — 30 minutes, no cost, no obligation. It's a genuine planning conversation to see whether coordination makes sense for your specific situation. Sometimes we advise people to DIY.
Ready when you are
One accountable point of coordination for your move.
30 minutes. No cost. A real planning conversation about your specific situation.
Continue exploring
Packages
All seven programmes with pricing.
Relocation & Expansion Blueprint
The paid standalone plan.
How It Works
Exactly what coordination covers.
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