Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Dun Laoghaire

For one person, living is cheaper in Dun Laoghaire: $2,733 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Dun Laoghaire
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Dun Laoghaire Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Dun Laoghaire

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,733 in Dun Laoghaire.

Cork $3,214
Dun Laoghaire $2,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $4,413 in Dun Laoghaire.

Cork $4,510
Dun Laoghaire $4,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $6,093 in Dun Laoghaire.

Cork $5,807
Dun Laoghaire $6,093

Living in Cork is roughly 18% more expensive than in Dun Laoghaire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Dun Laoghaire 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.67

$22.68 €20.32

-3.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.3

$101 €90.9

-12.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.52

$13.34 €11.96

-3.67%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.98

$4.84 €4.33

-8.06%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$3.02 €2.70

-5.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.28 €2.05

-1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.59

$7.87 €7.05

-6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.50

$7.99 €7.16

-9.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.62 €1.46

4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.35 €2.11

-0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.99 €1.78

-6.53%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.96

$4.30 €3.85

2.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.68

$10.11 €9.06

39.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.40

$10.88 €9.75

17.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.67

$13.21 €11.84

23.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.75 €2.46

19.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.18 €1.96

32.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.02

$2.76 €2.47

22.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.30

$4.03 €3.61

19.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.86 €1.66

20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.54 €1.38

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.27 €1.14

8.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.88 €1.69

14.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.20

$20.59 €18.45

-1.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.13

$13.26 €11.88

2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.71

$3.48 €3.12

18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.17

$3.48 €3.12

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.63 €2.36

-34.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.68

$5.16 €4.62

1.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.44 €1.29

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.23

$37.35 €33.47

-12.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.15 €1.93

-0.93%

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

$38.6K €34.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-0.24%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

0.07%

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

$235 €211

$242 €217

-2.89%

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

$21.68 €19.42

$18.06 €16.19

20.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.97

$49.92 €44.73

11.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.00

$59.7 €53.5

-8.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.80

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.87

$13.18 €11.81

0.46%

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

$1,071 €960

$1,001 €897

7.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,730

$5,256 €4,710

0.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.3

$101 €90.6

-5.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.48

$48.52 €43.48

-13.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$110 €98.7

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$132 €118

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,977

$1,474 €1,321

49.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,643

$1,447 €1,297

26.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,876

$3,649 €3,270

-12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,440

$3,165 €2,836

-13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,711

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,053

$3,632 €3,255

-6.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,393

$4,245 €3,804

-10.79%

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 Dun Laoghaire: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Dun Laoghaire

$1.4K 52.9% 21% $386

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Dun Laoghaire

$334 12.2% 13.8% $54

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Dun Laoghaire

$356 13% 5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Dun Laoghaire

$310 11.4% 0.8% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Dun Laoghaire

$176 6.5% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Dun Laoghaire

$23 * 0.8% 76.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Dun Laoghaire

$86 3.2% 6% $4.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,207 in Cork and $1,474 in Dun Laoghaire. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dun Laoghaire pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88 in Cork vs $101 in Dun Laoghaire. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $334, with Dun Laoghaire cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Dun Laoghaire

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

38,761

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cork Dun Laoghaire 220 km

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Cork
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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

Cork vs Dun Laoghaire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,214 in Cork and $2,733 in Dun Laoghaire, so Dun Laoghaire is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Cork. 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: $2,207 in Cork versus $1,474 in Dun Laoghaire. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,214 per month in Cork versus $2,733 in Dun Laoghaire – Dun Laoghaire is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Dun Laoghaire is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cork, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cork and Dun Laoghaire are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.