Head-to-head · tax residents 2026
Ireland or Canada: which should you move to?
Two of Europe's top relocation targets, both with newcomer regimes. Here is how they compare on the taxes that move the needle.
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| Factor |  Ireland ↗ |  Canada ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Top personal income tax | 40% | 53.53% |
| Corporate tax | 12.5%* | 26.5%* |
| Capital gains tax | Taxed | Taxed |
| Dividend tax | 40% | 39.3% |
| VAT / sales tax | 23% | 5% |
| Wealth tax | No | No |
| Inheritance tax | Yes | No |
| Foreign income | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Headline expat regime | SARP | None |
| Cost of living (vs your country) | 85 | 83 |
| Population | 5,484,367 | 41,651,653 |
| Area | 70,280 km² | 9,984,670 km² |
| Population density | 78/km² | 4/km² |
| Airports (large + medium) | 10 | 250 |
| Annual tourists | 10,951,000 | 19,913,000 |
| Flight time from your country | · | · |
| Direct flight likely? | · | · |
| Life expectancy | 82.6 yrs | 82.7 yrs |
| Safety (homicides/100k) | 0.7 | 2 |
| Happiness (0-10) | 7.09 | 7.23 |
| Corruption index (higher = cleaner) | 72/100 | 77/100 |
| Double-tax treaties (approx) | ~74 | ~94 |
| Internet speed (median fixed) | 221 Mbps | 278 Mbps |
| Healthcare spend / person | $7,395 | $6,378 |
| Air quality (PM2.5, lower=better) | 7.51 | 6.55 |
| Time zone (approx) | UTC | UTC-5 |
| Digital nomad visa | · | · |
| Official languages | 2 (English, Irish) | 2 (French, English) |
Green = more favourable. Cost of living shown as a percentage of your home country (under 100% = cheaper than home). Tax data: compiled by us, being re-verified; cost of living: World Bank PPP; area & population: GeoNames; life expectancy & homicide rate: World Bank.
* Ireland: 12.5% on trading income, 25% on passive/non-trading income. 15% top-up (Pillar Two) for groups with turnover >=€750m. · Canada: Federal general rate 15% plus provincial (~8%-16%); combined general ~23%-31% (Ontario 26.5%). Small-business rate 9% federal + provincial on first CAD 500k of active income
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