Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alkmaar: $2,394 a month against $3,217 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,217

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Alkmaar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,217 in Cork versus $2,394 in Alkmaar.

Cork $3,217
Alkmaar $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,578 in Cork versus $3,536 in Alkmaar.

Cork $4,578
Alkmaar $3,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,938 in Cork versus $4,677 in Alkmaar.

Cork $5,938
Alkmaar $4,677

Living in Cork is roughly 34% more expensive than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 137% above, Alkmaar 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.47 €19.99

$29.74 €26.45

-24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 €80.4

$88.1 €78.3

2.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 €11.42

$14.67 €13.05

-12.47%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.88

$3.96 €3.52

10.10%

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

$2.97 €2.64

$3.19 €2.83

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.47 €2.20

-9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.53

$5.75 €5.12

27.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 €6.55

$4.57 €4.06

61.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.43 €1.27

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.37 €2.10

-3.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.45 €3.07

-42.90%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.93

$4.90 €4.36

-9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 €12.35

$14.23 €12.66

-2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 €11.50

$15.08 €13.41

-14.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.93 €15.06

$16.85 €14.99

0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.54 €2.26

29.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.47 €2.20

21.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.84 €1.64

79.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 €4.15

$4.25 €3.78

9.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.94 €1.73

20.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.15 €1.91

-18.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.28 €1.13

10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.87

$0.80 €0.71

163.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.93 €17.73

$12.78 €11.37

55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 €12.02

$6.89 €6.13

96.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.68

$1.34 €1.19

208.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.22

$2.19 €1.95

65.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.20 €1.96

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 €67.0

$57.9 €51.5

30.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.54

$2.75 €2.44

85.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.63 €1.45

-6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.02 €29.37

$24.82 €22.07

33.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.24 €1.99

-4.46%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$41.3K €36.7K

-4.99%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$38.6K €34.4K

-0.18%

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

$242 €215

$242 €216

-0.09%

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

$22.31 €19.85

$20.63 €18.35

8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 €50.5

$46.41 €41.28

22.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.14

$46.05 €40.96

15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.50 €13.79

$6.11 €5.44

153.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.12

$15.00 €13.34

-9.20%

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

$1,100 €979

$726 €645

51.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,388 €4,793

$2,393 €2,128

125.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €85.1

$116 €103

-17.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.20 €38.43

$46.67 €41.51

-7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.8

$109 €97.3

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$118 €105

1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 €1,887

$778 €692

172.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 €1,622

$1,020 €907

78.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,236 €2,878

$2,855 €2,539

13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,824 €2,512

$1,576 €1,401

79.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,979 €4,429

$4,974 €4,424

0.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,093 €2,751

$4,169 €3,709

-25.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,922 €3,488

$3,317 €2,950

18.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.50%

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

Last update for Cork: October 17, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 56.7%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6% 44.1% $804

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$390 12.1%

Alkmaar

$346 14.5% 11.2% $44

Eating Out

Cork

$343 10.7%

Alkmaar

$390 16.3% 13.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$321 10%

Alkmaar

$309 12.9% 3.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$165 5.1%

Alkmaar

$176 7.3% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Cork

$94 2.9%

Alkmaar

$78 3.2% 17.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$80 2.5%

Alkmaar

$76 3.2% 5.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,122 in Cork and $778 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Cork vs $88.0 in Alkmaar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $346 per month, with Alkmaar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

1 h ahead of Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

111,834

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cork Alkmaar 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cork
Alkmaar

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

Cork vs Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alkmaar wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Cork. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alkmaar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Cork, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,122 in Cork versus $778 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alkmaar runs roughly 30% less than in Cork. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,100 in Cork versus $726 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,394 in Alkmaar versus $3,217 in Cork, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alkmaar but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Alkmaar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alkmaar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,394 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alkmaar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cork and Alkmaar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alkmaar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Cork. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.