Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Loughrea

For one person, living is cheaper in Loughrea: $2,549 a month against $3,208 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Loughrea
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Loughrea Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,208

/mo nomad

Loughrea

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Loughrea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,208 in Cork versus $2,549 in Loughrea.

Cork $3,208
Loughrea $2,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,513 in Cork versus $3,761 in Loughrea.

Cork $4,513
Loughrea $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,817 in Cork versus $4,974 in Loughrea.

Cork $5,817
Loughrea $4,974

Living in Cork is roughly 26% more expensive than in Loughrea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 137% above, Loughrea 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.77

$22.57 €20.09

-1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 €84.9

$99.4 €88.5

-4.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 €11.24

$13.25 €11.80

-4.75%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.84

$3.43 €3.05

25.66%

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

$2.88 €2.56

$2.22 €1.97

29.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.28 €2.03

-6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 €6.61

$5.50 €4.90

34.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.56 €6.73

$4.43 €3.95

70.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.66 €1.48

4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.28 €2.03

-4.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.08 €1.85

-5.77%

Eggs

$4.44 €3.95

$4.99 €4.45

-11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 €11.58

$3.31 €2.95

292.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.61

$6.53 €5.81

99.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 €15.00

$11.29 €10.05

49.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.85 €2.54

16.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.18 €1.95

36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.68 €2.39

28.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 €4.25

$4.43 €3.95

7.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.83 €1.63

24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.54 €1.37

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.74 €0.66

87.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.99 €1.77

4.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.53 €18.28

$21.47 €19.11

-4.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.14

$13.38 €11.91

1.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.68

$3.35 €2.98

23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.23

$3.57 €3.18

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.48 €2.21

-33.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.1 €68.6

$56.0 €49.86

37.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.69

$5.24 €4.67

0.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.52 €1.36

1.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.15 €29.52

$37.14 €33.07

-10.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.76 €1.56

18.75%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-2.58%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$38.8K €34.5K

-3.89%

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

$238 €212

$165 €147

44.01%

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

$23.17 €20.63

$17.97 €16.00

28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.6 €48.62

$53.9 €47.97

1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 €48.86

$57.8 €51.5

-5.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.42 €13.73

$49.87 €44.40

-69.08%

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 €11.95

$15.67 €13.95

-14.36%

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

$1,096 €976

$1,274 €1,134

-13.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,187 €8,181

$5,211 €4,640

76.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.3

$91.1 €81.1

2.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.33 €37.69

$50.9 €45.34

-16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$116 €103

-5.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$132 €118

-9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,290 €2,039

$1,595 €1,420

43.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 €1,623

$1,362 €1,213

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,214 €2,862

$2,561 €2,280

25.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 €2,394

$2,141 €1,906

25.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,266 €4,689

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,395 €3,023

$3,444 €3,067

-1.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,779 €3,364

$2,527 €2,250

49.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.81

9.45%

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

Last update for Cork: November 2, 2026

Last update for Loughrea: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 56.8%

Loughrea

$1.4K 53.4% 25.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Loughrea

$290 11.4% 25.1% $97

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Loughrea

$316 12.4% 7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$316 9.9%

Loughrea

$237 9.3% 24.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$164 5.1%

Loughrea

$175 6.9% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Loughrea

$79 3.1% 18.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$82 2.6%

Loughrea

$89 3.5% 9.1% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,290 in Cork and $1,595 in Loughrea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Cork vs $99 in Loughrea. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $290, with Loughrea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Loughrea

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

5,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Loughrea 140 km

From you

Cork
Loughrea

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 Loughrea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,208 in Cork and $2,549 in Loughrea, so Loughrea is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% 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: $2,290 in Cork versus $1,595 in Loughrea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% 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 $95 versus $99 in Loughrea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,549 in Loughrea versus $3,208 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Loughrea but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Loughrea 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 Loughrea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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