Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bray and Cork

For one person, living costs are similar in Bray and in Cork: $3,126 and $3,217 a month, rent and utilities included.

151

Cost of Living Index in Bray
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Bray Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Bray

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,126

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bray 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 Bray and in Cork actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,126 per month in Bray vs $3,217 in Cork, rent included.

Bray $3,126
Cork $3,217

A couple spends around $4,556 per month in Bray vs $4,578 in Cork, rent included.

Bray $4,556
Cork $4,578

A family of three spends $5,986 per month in Bray vs $5,938 in Cork, rent included.

Bray $5,986
Cork $5,938

Bray is about 3% cheaper than Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bray and Cork sit above the global median – Bray by 131%, Cork by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.73 €21.11

$22.47 €19.99

5.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.2

$90.4 €80.4

12.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 €12.07

$12.84 €11.42

5.69%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.30

$4.36 €3.88

10.78%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.97 €2.64

0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.24 €1.99

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 €7.06

$7.35 €6.53

8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 €6.25

$7.36 €6.55

-4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.66 €1.48

-2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.28 €2.03

0.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.97 €1.75

5.08%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.92

$4.42 €3.93

-0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 €8.93

$13.88 €12.35

-27.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 €9.79

$12.93 €11.50

-14.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 €11.87

$16.93 €15.06

-21.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$3.30 €2.94

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$3.01 €2.68

-25.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.30 €2.94

-16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 €3.58

$4.66 €4.15

-13.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.34 €2.08

-18.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$1.76 €1.57

-11.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.41 €1.26

-10.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.11 €1.87

-13.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.13

$19.93 €17.73

2.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 €12.20

$13.51 €12.02

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$4.13 €3.68

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.62 €3.22

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.60 €1.42

58.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €97.9

$75.3 €67.0

46.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 €4.67

$5.11 €4.54

2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.52 €1.35

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.24 €34.01

$33.02 €29.37

15.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.14 €1.91

-3.74%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$39.2K €34.9K

0.63%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$38.6K €34.3K

-0.55%

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

$271 €241

$242 €215

11.88%

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

$20.64 €18.36

$22.31 €19.85

-7.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.20

$56.8 €50.5

-10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 €58.3

$53.0 €47.14

23.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 €15.15

$15.50 €13.79

9.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 €14.01

$13.62 €12.12

15.71%

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

$1,004 €893

$1,100 €979

-8.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K €12.9K

$5,388 €4,793

169.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.1

$95.7 €85.1

3.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.70 €43.32

$43.20 €38.43

12.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.7

$108 €95.8

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$120 €107

-5.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 €1,977

$2,122 €1,887

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,824 €1,622

-7.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,799 €3,379

$3,236 €2,878

17.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 €2,460

$2,824 €2,512

-2.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K €9,101

$4,979 €4,429

105.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,718 €5,976

$3,093 €2,751

117.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,150 €2,802

$3,922 €3,488

-19.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.14

-7.73%

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

Last update for Bray: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bray

$1.7K 54%

Cork

$1.8K 56.7% 8% $135

Eating Out

Bray

$363 11.6%

Cork

$343 10.7% 5.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bray

$342 11%

Cork

$321 10% 6.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Bray

$336 10.8%

Cork

$390 12.1% 15.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Bray

$166 5.3%

Cork

$165 5.1% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Bray

$133 4.2%

Cork

$94 2.9% 28.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bray

$97 3.1%

Cork

$80 2.5% 17.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,222 in Bray versus $2,122 in Cork. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Cork, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bray versus $90.0 in Cork. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Bray vs $390 in Cork – so Bray wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Bray

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

Same time as Bray

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,512

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bray Cork 220 km

From you

Bray
Cork

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

Bray vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cork is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,690 per month in Bray and $4,826 in Cork. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bray, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,126 in Bray and $3,217 in Cork. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Bray. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,126 in Bray and $3,217 in Cork. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bray – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bray. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cork makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.