Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Mullingar

For one person, living is cheaper in Mullingar: $2,754 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Mullingar
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Mullingar Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Mullingar

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Mullingar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,754 in Mullingar.

Cork $3,214
Mullingar $2,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $3,853 in Mullingar.

Cork $4,510
Mullingar $3,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $4,953 in Mullingar.

Cork $5,807
Mullingar $4,953

Living in Cork is roughly 17% more expensive than in Mullingar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Mullingar 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.67

$20.43 €18.31

7.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.3

$84.0 €75.3

5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.52

$13.54 €12.13

-5.10%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.98

$4.73 €4.24

-5.92%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.53 €2.27

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.23 €2.00

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.59

$7.40 €6.63

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.50

$6.68 €5.99

8.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.53 €1.37

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.20 €1.08

94.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.76 €1.57

5.68%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.96

$3.99 €3.57

10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.68

$8.47 €7.59

67.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.40

$12.26 €10.99

3.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.67

$13.96 €12.51

17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$4.15 €3.72

-20.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.99 €1.79

45.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.02

$1.58 €1.42

113.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.94 €3.53

21.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.27 €2.03

-0.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.25 €1.12

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.30 €1.17

6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.10 €0.98

95.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.20

$20.56 €18.42

-1.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.13

$11.22 €10.06

20.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.71

$2.84 €2.55

45.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.17

$3.42 €3.07

3.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.73 €1.55

-1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.4

$68.1 €61.1

13.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.68

$5.54 €4.97

-5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.46 €1.31

2.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.23

$66.7 €59.7

-51.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.08 €1.87

2.40%

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

$38.6K €34.6K

$38.3K €34.3K

0.89%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$38.2K €34.2K

-1.57%

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

$235 €211

$161 €145

45.80%

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

$21.68 €19.42

$20.54 €18.41

5.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.97

$45.88 €41.11

21.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.00

$59.5 €53.4

-8.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.80

$33.02 €29.59

-53.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.87

$11.03 €9.88

20.04%

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

$1,071 €960

$850 €762

25.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,730

$2,224 €1,993

137.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.3

$88.0 €78.8

8.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.48

$36.04 €32.30

16.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$89.1 €79.8

18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$94.6 €84.8

24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,977

$1,738 €1,558

26.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,643

$1,579 €1,415

16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,876

$2,444 €2,190

31.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,440

$2,224 €1,993

22.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,711

$3,976 €3,563

32.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,053

$3,795 €3,401

-10.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,393

$2,610 €2,339

45.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.6

15.00%

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

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mullingar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Mullingar

$1.6K 57.3% 13.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Mullingar

$309 11.2% 20.4% $79

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Mullingar

$330 12% 2.6% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Mullingar

$228 8.3% 27.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Mullingar

$138 5% 14.7% $24

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Mullingar

$88 3.2% 9.3% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Mullingar

$82 3% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,207 in Cork and $1,738 in Mullingar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Cork vs $84 in Mullingar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $309 per month, with Mullingar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Mullingar

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

22,667

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cork Mullingar 200 km

From you

Cork
Mullingar

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 Mullingar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,214 in Cork and $2,754 in Mullingar, so Mullingar is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $1,738 in Mullingar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mullingar – a meal for two runs $84 versus $88 in Cork. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mullingar 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.

Expats usually find Mullingar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Cork. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.