Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,202 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,202

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,202 in Cork versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Cork $3,202
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,537 in Cork versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Cork $4,537
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Cork versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Cork $5,872
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Cork is roughly 44% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 137% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.38 €19.90

$16.50 €14.67

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 €80.2

$61.3 €54.5

47.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.59 €11.20

$11.27 €10.03

11.71%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.77

$3.06 €2.72

38.56%

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

$2.90 €2.58

$2.26 €2.01

28.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.73 €1.54

25.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 €6.49

$3.39 €3.02

115.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$3.40 €3.02

111.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.12 €1.00

47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.86 €1.65

26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.53 €1.36

28.10%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.92

$3.96 €3.53

11.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.09 €12.53

$12.76 €11.35

10.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$7.90 €7.02

60.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.49 €14.67

$16.97 €15.09

-2.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.27 €2.02

44.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.75 €1.55

68.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$1.85 €1.64

83.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 €4.30

$2.57 €2.28

87.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.86 €1.65

20.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.02 €1.80

-12.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.44 €1.28

-2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.82 €0.73

164.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.11 €17.89

$6.56 €5.83

206.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 €11.95

$5.62 €5.00

139.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 €3.76

$1.28 €1.14

230.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.07 €1.84

67.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.35 €2.09

-29.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 €68.8

$44.18 €39.30

75.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 €4.67

$3.99 €3.55

31.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.09 €0.97

42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.91 €29.27

$16.64 €14.81

97.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.28 €2.03

-9.21%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

16.29%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-5.12%

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

$242 €216

$167 €149

44.75%

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

$22.05 €19.62

$18.80 €16.72

17.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$33.09 €29.43

66.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.36

$46.01 €40.93

15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.53

$19.19 €17.07

-20.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 €11.88

$9.84 €8.75

35.77%

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

$1,061 €944

$677 €602

56.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,355 €4,763

$16.9K €15.1K

-68.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 €85.7

$101 €90.1

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.16 €37.51

$45.76 €40.70

-7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.1

$100.0 €88.9

6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$123 €109

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 €1,901

$1,614 €1,436

32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 €1,612

$1,197 €1,065

51.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,277 €2,914

$2,862 €2,545

14.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,767 €2,461

$1,990 €1,770

39.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,889 €4,349

$7,577 €6,740

-35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,095 €2,753

$4,307 €3,831

-28.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,873 €3,445

$1,588 €1,412

143.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.85

7.53%

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

Last update for Cork: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 56.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 34% $615

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$389 12.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 30.8% $120

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 28.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$320 10%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 31.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$165 5.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 35% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$80 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 17.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,137 in Cork and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 144% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Lisbon 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cork
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cork and Lisbon differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($3,202 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 144% 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: $2,137 in Cork versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $90.0 in Cork. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,202 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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.

Safety-wise, Cork and Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Cork. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.