Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Balbriggan

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.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
Learn more

Cork Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
Learn more

Balbriggan Living Index

Jump to prices

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Balbriggan

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 Balbriggan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Cork $3,214
Balbriggan $2,676

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

Cork $4,510
Balbriggan $3,956

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

Cork $5,807
Balbriggan $5,236

Living in Cork is roughly 20% more expensive than in Balbriggan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.72

$22.68 €20.38

-3.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.5

$98.7 €88.7

-10.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.55

$13.53 €12.16

-5.03%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.99

$5.01 €4.50

-11.18%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.97 €2.67

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.25 €2.02

-0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.61

$7.60 €6.82

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.51

$7.95 €7.14

-8.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.68 €1.51

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.28 €2.05

2.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.06 €1.86

-9.71%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$3.16 €2.84

39.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.71

$10.05 €9.03

40.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.44

$12.89 €11.58

-1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.71

$16.23 €14.58

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.95

$2.76 €2.48

18.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.28 €2.05

26.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$2.72 €2.44

23.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.31

$5.09 €4.58

-5.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.91 €1.71

17.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.54 €1.38

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.37 €1.23

0.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.09 €1.88

2.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.24

$21.36 €19.19

-4.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.17

$13.37 €12.01

1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.72

$2.80 €2.52

47.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.18

$2.47 €2.22

42.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.47 €2.22

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

$133 €120

-41.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.70

$5.03 €4.52

3.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.54 €1.39

-3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.31

$37.74 €33.91

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.08 €1.87

2.40%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$39.4K €35.4K

-2.00%

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

$37.6K €33.8K

$38.1K €34.2K

-1.23%

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

$235 €211

$171 €153

37.83%

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

$21.68 €19.48

$16.82 €15.11

28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €50.1

$44.91 €40.35

24.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.13

$53.3 €47.85

2.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.90

$13.27 €11.92

-0.23%

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

$1,071 €962

$1,259 €1,131

-14.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,742

$5,150 €4,627

2.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.6

$109 €98.4

-13.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.58

$27.97 €25.13

49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$61.4 €55.2

72.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$132 €119

-10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,983

$1,553 €1,395

42.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,647

$1,349 €1,212

35.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,884

$2,533 €2,275

26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,447

$2,159 €1,940

26.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,723

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,062

$3,612 €3,246

-5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,402

$2,292 €2,059

65.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.81

8.66%

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

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Last update for Balbriggan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4% 26.4% $484

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Balbriggan

$353 13.2% 9.1% $35

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Balbriggan

$357 13.3% 5.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Balbriggan

$232 8.7% 25.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Balbriggan

$149 5.6% 8.3% $13

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Balbriggan

$156 5.8% 60.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Balbriggan

$80 3% 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,207 in Cork and $1,553 in Balbriggan. 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: $88 in Cork vs $99 in Balbriggan. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $353, with Balbriggan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

24,322

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Balbriggan 240 km

From you

Cork
Balbriggan

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 Balbriggan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cork and Balbriggan differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($3,214 vs $2,676 including rent). Balbriggan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $2,207 in Cork versus $1,553 in Balbriggan. 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.