Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Cork

For one person, living costs are similar in Cambridge and in Cork: $3,191 and $3,217 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cambridge
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,191
/mo nomad
Cork
🇮🇪 Ireland
$3,217
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Cambridge vs $3,217 in Cork, rent included.

  • Cambridge $3,191
  • Cork $3,217

A couple spends around $4,509 per month in Cambridge vs $4,578 in Cork, rent included.

  • Cambridge $4,509
  • Cork $4,578

A family of three spends $5,827 per month in Cambridge vs $5,938 in Cork, rent included.

  • Cambridge $5,827
  • Cork $5,938

Cambridge is about 1% cheaper than Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cambridge and Cork sit above the global median – Cambridge by 136%, Cork by 137%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.56 £16.17
$22.47 €19.99
-4.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.5 £66.4
$90.4 €80.4
-2.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.83 £8.12
$12.84 €11.42
-15.65%
Cappuccino
$4.49 £3.37
$4.36 €3.88
2.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 £2.09
$2.97 €2.64
-6.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 £1.41
$2.24 €1.99
-16.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.90 £5.93
$7.35 €6.53
7.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.54 £4.91
$7.36 €6.55
-11.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.66 €1.48
-1.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 £1.34
$2.28 €2.03
-21.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 £1.87
$1.97 €1.75
26.40%
Eggs
$4.53 £3.40
$4.42 €3.93
2.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.93 £7.45
$13.88 €12.35
-28.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.43 £7.07
$12.93 €11.50
-27.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.44 £11.59
$16.93 €15.06
-8.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 £2.22
$3.30 €2.94
-10.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 £1.30
$3.01 €2.68
-42.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.70 £2.77
$3.30 €2.94
12.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 £2.54
$4.66 €4.15
-27.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 £1.38
$2.34 €2.08
-21.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.76 €1.57
7.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.41 €1.26
-12.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 £1.47
$2.11 €1.87
-7.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.36 £16.77
$19.93 €17.73
12.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.97 £8.23
$13.51 €12.02
-18.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.13 €3.68
-20.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15 £3.11
$3.62 €3.22
14.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.60 €1.42
154.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.1 £71.3
$75.3 €67.0
26.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.76 £5.82
$5.11 €4.54
51.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.70 £2.02
$1.52 €1.35
77.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$50.9 £38.18
$33.02 €29.37
54.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 £1.55
$2.14 €1.91
-3.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K £28.4K
$39.2K €34.9K
-3.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.8K
$38.6K €34.3K
6.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$345 £258
$242 €215
42.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.37 £13.78
$22.31 €19.85
-17.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.78 £32.10
$56.8 €50.5
-24.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.4 £49.09
$53.0 €47.14
23.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.63 £15.48
$15.50 €13.79
33.10%
Cinema Ticket
$17.15 £12.86
$13.62 €12.12
25.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,590 £1,943
$1,100 €979
135.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.8K £26.9K
$5,388 €4,793
564.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.4 £67.8
$95.7 €85.1
-5.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.74 £35.82
$43.20 €38.43
10.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.4 £68.6
$108 €95.8
-15.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 £95.5
$120 €107
6.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,115 £1,587
$2,122 €1,887
-0.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,736 £1,302
$1,824 €1,622
-4.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,193 £2,396
$3,236 €2,878
-1.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,694 £2,021
$2,824 €2,512
-4.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,107 £6,832
$4,979 €4,429
82.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,803 £4,353
$3,093 €2,751
87.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cambridge
Cork
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,405 £3,305
$3,922 €3,488
12.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.04
4.14
21.74%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cambridge
$1.7K
Cork
$1.8K 5.1% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cambridge
$406
Cork
$321 20.8% $85
Eating Out
Cambridge
$330
Cork
$343 3.9% $13
Groceries & Markets
Cambridge
$327
Cork
$390 19.2% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Cambridge
$161
Cork
$165 2.7% $4.4
Getting Around
Cambridge
$133
Cork
$94 28.8% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Cambridge
$100
Cork
$80 19.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,115 in Cambridge 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 12% higher in Cambridge, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge versus $90.0 in Cork. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $390 – making Cambridge the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Cambridge
🇮🇪 Cork
🕒 Local time
11:48 11:48 AM
11:48 11:48 AM
Same time as Cambridge
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
145,818
210,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cambridge Cork 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cambridge
  • 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
Cambridge vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cork cheaper than Cambridge?
Yes – Cork is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Cambridge and $4,826 in Cork. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cambridge, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Cambridge or in Cork?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge and $90.0 in Cork. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Cambridge and in Cork?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,191 in Cambridge and $3,217 in Cork. That's a gap of about 1%.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Cambridge or in Cork?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,191 in Cambridge and $3,217 in Cork. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Cambridge or Cork more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cambridge – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Cambridge or Cork?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cambridge. 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.

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