Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Fermoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Fermoy: $2,398 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
Learn more

Cork Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Fermoy
Learn more

Fermoy Living Index

Jump to prices

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Fermoy

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Fermoy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,398 in Fermoy.

Cork $3,214
Fermoy $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $3,530 in Fermoy.

Cork $4,510
Fermoy $3,530

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $4,662 in Fermoy.

Cork $5,807
Fermoy $4,662

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Fermoy 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.59

$12.49 €11.15

75.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €78.9

$66.4 €59.2

33.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.47

$10.13 €9.03

26.85%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.97

$3.67 €3.28

21.25%

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

$2.86 €2.56

$2.15 €1.92

33.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.84 €1.64

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.56

$4.43 €3.95

65.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.47

$5.44 €4.85

33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.61 €1.44

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.12 €1.89

9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.09 €0.97

70.64%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.95

$4.85 €4.33

-8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.62

$9.85 €8.79

43.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.36

$12.65 €11.29

0.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.61

$16.31 €14.55

0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$2.71 €2.41

21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.17 €1.93

33.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$2.71 €2.42

24.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.28

$5.16 €4.60

-6.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.90 €1.69

18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.49 €1.33

17.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.31 €1.17

5.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.00 €1.78

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.12

$18.80 €16.77

8.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.08

$11.38 €10.15

18.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.69

$3.45 €3.07

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.15

$3.48 €3.10

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.49 €2.22

-31.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.66

$5.01 €4.47

4.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.48 €1.32

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.11

$37.41 €33.38

-12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.86 €1.66

14.52%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$39.7K €35.4K

-2.61%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$38.0K €33.9K

-0.96%

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

$235 €210

$267 €238

-11.89%

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

$21.68 €19.34

$18.26 €16.30

18.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.75

$54.0 €48.20

3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.79

$59.8 €53.4

-8.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.74

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.81

$15.70 €14.01

-15.67%

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

$1,071 €956

$1,271 €1,134

-15.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,709

$5,224 €4,661

1.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.0

$107 €95.5

-11.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.32

$51.1 €45.56

-18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.2

$113 €101

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$130 €116

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,969

$1,365 €1,218

61.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,636

$1,191 €1,063

53.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,864

$2,589 €2,310

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,430

$2,086 €1,861

30.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,690

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,040

$3,415 €3,047

-0.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,379

$1,673 €1,492

126.40%

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 Fermoy: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Fermoy

$1.2K 49.7% 35% $642

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Fermoy

$351 14.6% 9.6% $37

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Fermoy

$223 9.3% 34.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Fermoy

$339 14.2% 8.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Fermoy

$180 7.5% 11.1% $18

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Fermoy

$22 * 0.9% 76.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Fermoy

$91 3.8% 12.4% $10

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 $1,365 in Fermoy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Cork vs $66 in Fermoy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $351 per month, with Fermoy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Fermoy

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

6,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Fermoy 30 km

From you

Cork
Fermoy

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 Fermoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,214 in Cork and $2,398 in Fermoy, so Fermoy is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Cork is about 2.3 times higher, 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 $1,365 in Fermoy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% 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 $2,398 in Fermoy – Fermoy is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Fermoy is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Fermoy wins on affordability, Cork on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.