Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Mechelen Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Mechelen

🙂 Solo nomad: Cork is 6% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 42.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cork is 3.5% more expensive than Mechelen without rent, and 39.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.12 €18.23
$23.26 €20.08
-9.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.6 €80.8
$114 €98.7
-18.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.46 €9.9
$12.79 €11.04
-10.40%
Cappuccino
$4.68 €4.04
$4.06 €3.51
15.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 €2.44
$3.32 €2.87
-14.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.86
$3.14 €2.71
-31.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.98 €6.02
$5.72 €4.94
22.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.05 €6.09
$4.58 €3.96
53.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 €1.39
$1.31 €1.13
22.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.1 €1.81
$2.67 €2.31
-21.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.3 €1.98
$2.35 €2.03
-2.13%
Eggs
$4.32 €3.73
$3.98 €3.44
8.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.05 €10.41
$17.5 €15.11
-31.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.86 €11.1
$11.94 €10.31
7.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.81 €12.79
$19.02 €16.42
-22.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.46 €2.99
$3 €2.59
15.33%
Banana (1kg)
$3.34 €2.88
$2.37 €2.04
40.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.52 €3.04
$2.28 €1.96
54.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.71 €4.93
$3.02 €2.61
89.07%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.4
$1.91 €1.65
45.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.2 €1.9
$2.16 €1.86
1.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 €1.4
$1.33 €1.15
21.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.84
$0.81 €0.7
164.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.3 €17.52
$12.69 €10.95
59.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.17 €12.23
$9.22 €7.96
53.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 €3.18
$1.83 €1.58
101.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 €3.3
$2.36 €2.04
61.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.49 €2.15
$3.16 €2.73
-21.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.7 €84.3
$55.9 €48.29
74.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.19 €4.48
$5.9 €5.1
-12.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.79 €2.41
$2.46 €2.13
13.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.42 €30.59
$45.87 €39.6
-22.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.77
$1.84 €1.59
11.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.7K €36.9K
$33.7K €29.1K
26.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40K €34.6K
$33.1K €28.6K
21.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$242 €209
$207 €179
17.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.54 €18.59
$24.98 €21.57
-13.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.77 €42.97
$50.5 €43.63
-1.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66 €57
$31.39 €27.1
110.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.93 €30.16
$13.71 €11.83
154.78%
Cinema Ticket
$14.01 €12.09
$15.09 €13.03
-7.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,317 €1,137
$582 €502
126.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,439 €6,423
$13.4K €11.6K
-44.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €87.4
$111 €95.4
-8.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 €43.48
$51.1 €44.11
-1.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €87
$106 €91.6
-5.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 €99.1
$160 €139
-28.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,818 €1,569
$893 €771
103.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 €1,322
$746 €644
105.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,168 €2,735
$1,373 €1,185
130.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,654 €2,292
$1,119 €966
137.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,670 €4,896
$3,463 €2,990
63.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,102 €4,405
$2,925 €2,526
74.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cork
Mechelen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,482 €3,006
$2,397 €2,070
45.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.6
3.27
40.67%

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

Last update for Cork: October 28, 2025

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

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