The report - Who is Better off? Measuring Cross-border Differences in Living Standards, Opportunities and Quality of Life on the Island of Ireland - found that standards of living were better in the Republic than in Northern Ireland across almost all indicators.
Carl McClean, an Ulster Unionist councillor for Ards and North Down, helps companies move their staff around the world by providing them with cost of living data. He said we did not need the ESRI report to highlight the economic difficulties in Northern Ireland.
Mr McClean said: The report looked initially right to me at most salary levels, but my calculations can suggest otherwise. Comparing like-for-like salaries and looking at differences in goods and services, housing, and taxes, a married person on Northern Ireland s median wage of £28,000 can expect £1,500 more in their pocket living in Belfast compared to Dublin.