Where Irish Companies Are Actually Expanding, And What A Desk Costs There
6 August 2026 · Craig Maguire, MR Commercial Real Estate
Enterprise Ireland's latest exporter survey, published around International Markets Week, found that 97% of client companies plan to expand into new markets over the next 12 months, and 93% predict growth in 2026. The euro zone remains the top target region, followed by the UK, then the US.
If your business is one of them, the office question comes fast behind the sales question. Here is a rough sense of what a desk costs in three of the world's major flex markets, next to Dublin as a baseline.
Dublin flex desks average around €600 a month, all in. In London, that number moves to somewhere around £625, or roughly €720, depending on provider and location. In New York, dedicated desks typically run $500 to $900, roughly €460 to €830, with Manhattan pushing well above that. In Beijing, flex desks with global operators like WeWork run closer to ¥2,100 to ¥3,200, roughly €270 to €420, often the cheapest of the three.
Cost is the easy number to find. What actually catches founders out is everything sitting underneath it. London favours short, rolling terms. New York leases can carry steep security deposits before you get the keys. Beijing generally requires a registered local entity before you can sign a lease at all, a step with no real Dublin equivalent. The market that looks cheapest on a spreadsheet is not always the simplest one to actually move into.
This is exactly why we built MR Commercial to work the same way in every market. We run the same search, comparison and negotiation process in over 110 countries and 2,500 cities that we run in Dublin, one point of contact, wherever your team is headed next.
Opening your first office abroad? Get in touch at craig@mrcommercial.ie or +353 1 963 6199, or visit www.mrcommercial.ie.