Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dun Laoghaire and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Dun Laoghaire: $2,733 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Dun Laoghaire
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Dun Laoghaire Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,733

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dun Laoghaire and in Cork

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dun Laoghaire and in Cork actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Dun Laoghaire versus $3,214 in Cork.

Dun Laoghaire $2,733
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,413 in Dun Laoghaire versus $4,510 in Cork.

Dun Laoghaire $4,413
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,093 in Dun Laoghaire versus $5,807 in Cork.

Dun Laoghaire $6,093
Cork $5,807

Living in Dun Laoghaire costs roughly 15% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dun Laoghaire 101% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$21.95 €19.66

3.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.9

$88.5 €79.2

14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.95

$12.85 €11.51

3.81%

Cappuccino

$4.84 €4.33

$4.45 €3.98

8.76%

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

$3.02 €2.70

$2.86 €2.56

5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.24 €2.01

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 €7.05

$7.35 €6.58

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.99 €7.16

$7.25 €6.49

10.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.70 €1.52

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.33 €2.08

0.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.86 €1.66

6.99%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.85

$4.42 €3.96

-2.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 €9.06

$14.15 €12.67

-28.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.74

$12.73 €11.40

-14.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 €11.83

$16.37 €14.66

-19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$3.28 €2.94

-16.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.89 €2.59

-24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.37 €3.02

-18.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.61

$4.80 €4.30

-16.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.25 €2.02

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.75 €1.57

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.38 €1.23

-7.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.15 €1.92

-12.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.59 €18.44

$20.31 €18.19

1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 €11.87

$13.54 €12.13

-2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.12

$4.14 €3.70

-15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.53 €3.17

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.71 €1.53

53.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.62

$5.23 €4.68

-1.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.49 €1.34

-3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.45

$32.62 €29.22

14.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.13 €1.90

0.94%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.6K €34.6K

0.24%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$37.6K €33.7K

-0.07%

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

$242 €217

$235 €211

2.98%

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

$18.06 €16.18

$21.68 €19.41

-16.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.92 €44.71

$55.8 €49.94

-10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.7 €53.5

$54.7 €48.97

9.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.79

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 €11.81

$13.24 €11.86

-0.45%

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

$1,001 €896

$1,071 €959

-6.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,256 €4,707

$5,278 €4,727

-0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.5

$95.2 €85.3

6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.52 €43.45

$41.83 €37.46

15.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.6

$106 €94.6

4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$118 €106

11.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 €1,320

$2,207 €1,976

-33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 €1,296

$1,833 €1,642

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,649 €3,268

$3,210 €2,874

13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,165 €2,835

$2,723 €2,439

16.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,708

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,632 €3,253

$3,407 €3,052

6.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 €3,802

$3,787 €3,391

12.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

4.14

-7.97%

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

Last update for Dun Laoghaire: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dun Laoghaire

$1.4K 52.9%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 26.7% $386

Eating Out

Dun Laoghaire

$356 13%

Cork

$339 10.6% 4.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Dun Laoghaire

$334 12.2%

Cork

$388 12.1% 16% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dun Laoghaire

$310 11.4%

Cork

$313 9.7% 0.8% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Dun Laoghaire

$176 6.5%

Cork

$162 5.1% 7.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dun Laoghaire

$86 3.2%

Cork

$81 2.5% 5.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Dun Laoghaire

$23 * 0.8%

Cork

$97 3% 324% $74

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 $1,474 in Dun Laoghaire and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dun Laoghaire pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Dun Laoghaire vs $88 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $388, with Dun Laoghaire cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

Same time as Dun Laoghaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,761

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Dun Laoghaire Cork 220 km

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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

Dun Laoghaire vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,733 in Dun Laoghaire and $3,214 in Cork, so Dun Laoghaire is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Dun Laoghaire, 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: $1,474 in Dun Laoghaire versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,733 per month in Dun Laoghaire versus $3,214 in Cork – Dun Laoghaire is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Dun Laoghaire is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cork, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dun Laoghaire and Cork are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.