Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cork and Wicklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Wicklow: $2,446 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Wicklow
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Wicklow Living Index

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Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Wicklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cork and in Wicklow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,214 in Cork versus $2,446 in Wicklow.

Cork $3,214
Wicklow $2,446

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,510 in Cork versus $3,745 in Wicklow.

Cork $4,510
Wicklow $3,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,807 in Cork versus $5,045 in Wicklow.

Cork $5,807
Wicklow $5,045

Living in Cork is roughly 31% more expensive than in Wicklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cork 136% above, Wicklow 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.72

$15.44 €13.87

42.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €79.5

$110 €98.6

-19.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 €11.54

$9.24 €8.30

39.07%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.99

$4.07 €3.66

9.34%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.57 €2.31

11.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.07 €1.86

8.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.60

$6.79 €6.10

8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 €6.51

$5.89 €5.29

23.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.56 €1.41

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.71 €1.54

36.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.27 €2.04

-18.06%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$4.35 €3.90

1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 €12.71

$16.74 €15.04

-15.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.43

$10.10 €9.07

26.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 €14.71

$7.70 €6.92

112.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.95

$3.09 €2.77

6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.16 €1.94

33.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$3.05 €2.74

10.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 €4.31

$4.06 €3.65

18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.00 €1.79

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.49 €1.34

17.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.30 €1.17

6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.83 €1.64

17.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.24

$20.47 €18.39

-0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 €12.16

$13.83 €12.42

-2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.71

$2.26 €2.03

83.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 €3.17

$3.40 €3.06

3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.89 €2.59

-40.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.69

$2.53 €2.27

106.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.41 €1.27

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €29.30

$31.88 €28.64

2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.01 €1.80

5.97%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$36.8K €33.0K

5.07%

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

$37.6K €33.8K

$38.0K €34.2K

-1.13%

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

$235 €211

$225 €202

4.51%

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

$21.68 €19.47

$20.97 €18.83

3.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €50.1

$33.98 €30.53

64.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.12

$58.4 €52.5

-6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.90

$13.38 €12.02

-1.05%

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

$1,071 €962

$1,871 €1,681

-42.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,741

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €85.6

$99.6 €89.5

-4.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 €37.57

$34.04 €30.58

22.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$67.0 €60.2

57.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$115 €103

3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 €1,982

$1,700 €1,527

29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,647

$1,327 €1,192

38.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 €2,883

$2,977 €2,674

7.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,723 €2,446

$2,393 €2,149

13.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,722

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,061

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,402

$5,481 €4,923

-30.91%

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 Wicklow: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cork

$1.8K 57%

Wicklow

$1.3K 54.3% 27.6% $506

Groceries & Markets

Cork

$388 12.1%

Wicklow

$326 13.3% 16% $62

Eating Out

Cork

$339 10.6%

Wicklow

$264 10.8% 22% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cork

$313 9.7%

Wicklow

$280 11.5% 10.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cork

$162 5.1%

Wicklow

$142 5.8% 12.6% $21

Getting Around

Cork

$97 3%

Wicklow

$21 * 0.9% 78.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Cork

$81 2.5%

Wicklow

$85 3.5% 4.9% $4

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 $1,700 in Wicklow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wicklow pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88 in Cork vs $110 in Wicklow. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $326, with Wicklow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cork

🇮🇪 Wicklow

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

Same time as Cork

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

12,957

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cork Wicklow 200 km

From you

Cork
Wicklow

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 Wicklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cork and Wicklow differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($3,214 vs $2,446 including rent). Wicklow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Cork. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,207 in Cork versus $1,700 in Wicklow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% 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 $2,446 in Wicklow – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,446 in Wicklow versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wicklow but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Wicklow 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 Wicklow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.