Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Kilkenny

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilkenny: $2,340 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
Learn more

Cork Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Kilkenny
Learn more

Kilkenny Living Index

Jump to prices

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Kilkenny

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,340 in Kilkenny.

Cork $3,214
Kilkenny $2,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $3,280 in Kilkenny.

Cork $4,510
Kilkenny $3,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $4,221 in Kilkenny.

Cork $5,807
Kilkenny $4,221

Living in Cork is roughly 37% more expensive than in Kilkenny, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Kilkenny 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.67

$16.55 €14.83

32.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.3

$67.4 €60.4

31.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.52

$10.02 €8.98

28.24%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.98

$4.28 €3.84

3.97%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.98 €2.67

-4.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.18 €1.95

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.59

$6.57 €5.89

11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.50

$6.50 €5.83

11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.33 €1.20

27.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.35 €2.11

-0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.53 €1.37

21.57%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.96

$4.38 €3.93

0.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.68

$10.50 €9.41

34.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.40

$5.72 €5.13

122.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.67

$6.82 €6.12

140.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.27 €2.04

44.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.23 €2.00

29.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.03 €2.72

11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.30

$2.85 €2.55

68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.23 €1.11

82.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.14 €1.02

53.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.85 €0.76

62.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.83 €1.64

17.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.20

$20.42 €18.30

-0.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.13

$14.18 €12.71

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.71

$3.82 €3.42

8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.17

$4.37 €3.92

-19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.71 €2.43

-36.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.68

$5.34 €4.78

-2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.41 €1.26

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.23

$56.4 €50.6

-42.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.04 €1.83

4.41%

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

$38.6K €34.6K

$38.2K €34.3K

1.02%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$38.4K €34.4K

-2.04%

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

$235 €211

$181 €162

30.37%

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

$21.68 €19.42

$20.72 €18.57

4.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.97

$51.8 €46.43

7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.00

$69.4 €62.2

-21.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.80

$22.38 €20.05

-31.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.87

$13.53 €12.13

-2.14%

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

$1,071 €960

$877 €786

22.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,730

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.3

$102 €91.1

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.48

$36.88 €33.05

13.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$111 €99.8

-5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$94.0 €84.3

25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,977

$1,534 €1,374

43.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,643

$1,252 €1,122

46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,876

$2,620 €2,348

22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,440

$1,818 €1,629

49.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,711

$8,172 €7,323

-35.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,053

$2,279 €2,042

49.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,393

$2,765 €2,478

36.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.68

12.50%

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

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kilkenny: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Kilkenny

$1.3K 53.5% 31.7% $581

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Kilkenny

$280 12% 27.9% $108

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Kilkenny

$280 12% 17.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Kilkenny

$253 10.8% 19.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Kilkenny

$155 6.6% 4.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Kilkenny

$23 * 1% 76% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Kilkenny

$96 4.1% 18.9% $15

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 $1,534 in Kilkenny. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 37% 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: $88 in Cork vs $67 in Kilkenny for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $280 per month, with Kilkenny cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Kilkenny

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

26,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Kilkenny 120 km

From you

Cork
Kilkenny

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 Kilkenny: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,214 in Cork and $2,340 in Kilkenny, so Kilkenny is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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 $1,534 in Kilkenny. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% 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 $2,340 in Kilkenny – Kilkenny is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Kilkenny are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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