Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Balbriggan: $2,676 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cork outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balbriggan and in Cork

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balbriggan and in Cork actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $3,214 in Cork.

Balbriggan $2,676
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Balbriggan versus $4,510 in Cork.

Balbriggan $3,956
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,236 in Balbriggan versus $5,807 in Cork.

Balbriggan $5,236
Cork $5,807

Living in Balbriggan costs roughly 17% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balbriggan 97% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.38

$21.95 €19.72

3.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 €88.7

$88.5 €79.5

11.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.16

$12.85 €11.54

5.29%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.50

$4.45 €3.99

12.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.67

$2.86 €2.57

3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.24 €2.01

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.82

$7.35 €6.60

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 €7.14

$7.25 €6.51

9.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.70 €1.53

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.33 €2.09

-2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.86 €1.67

10.75%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.84

$4.42 €3.97

-28.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €9.03

$14.15 €12.71

-28.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.58

$12.73 €11.43

1.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.58

$16.37 €14.71

-0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.28 €2.95

-15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.89 €2.59

-21.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$3.37 €3.03

-19.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.57

$4.80 €4.31

6.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.25 €2.02

-15.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.75 €1.57

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.38 €1.24

-0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.15 €1.93

-2.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.36 €19.19

$20.31 €18.24

5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 €12.01

$13.54 €12.16

-1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.14 €3.71

-32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$3.53 €3.17

-30.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.71 €1.53

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €120

$77.4 €69.6

71.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.52

$5.23 €4.69

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.49 €1.34

3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.74 €33.90

$32.62 €29.30

15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.13 €1.91

-2.35%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.4K €35.4K

$38.6K €34.7K

2.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.1K €34.2K

$37.6K €33.8K

1.25%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 €153

$235 €211

-27.44%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.82 €15.11

$21.68 €19.47

-22.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 €40.34

$55.8 €50.1

-19.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.84

$54.7 €49.12

-2.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.92

$13.24 €11.90

0.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,259 €1,131

$1,071 €962

17.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,150 €4,626

$5,278 €4,741

-2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €98.3

$95.2 €85.6

14.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.97 €25.12

$41.83 €37.57

-33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €55.1

$106 €94.9

-41.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$118 €106

11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,395

$2,207 €1,982

-29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,212

$1,833 €1,647

-26.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,275

$3,210 €2,883

-21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 €1,940

$2,723 €2,446

-20.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,722

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 €3,245

$3,407 €3,061

6.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,292 €2,059

$3,787 €3,402

-39.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

4.14

-7.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balbriggan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 35.9% $484

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.3%

Cork

$339 10.6% 5% $18

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$353 13.2%

Cork

$388 12.1% 10% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$232 8.7%

Cork

$313 9.7% 34.5% $80

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$156 5.8%

Cork

$97 3% 37.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$149 5.6%

Cork

$162 5.1% 9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Cork

$81 2.5% 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Balbriggan and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Balbriggan vs $88 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $388, with Balbriggan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

Same time as Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Balbriggan Cork 240 km

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Balbriggan
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Balbriggan vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,676 in Balbriggan and $3,214 in Cork, so Balbriggan is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Balbriggan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,553 in Balbriggan versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cork – a meal for two runs $88 versus $99 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Balbriggan but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Balbriggan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Balbriggan wins on affordability, Cork on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.