Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilkenny and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilkenny: $2,340 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Kilkenny
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Kilkenny Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,340

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny and in Cork actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,340 in Kilkenny versus $3,214 in Cork.

Kilkenny $2,340
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,280 in Kilkenny versus $4,510 in Cork.

Kilkenny $3,280
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,221 in Kilkenny versus $5,807 in Cork.

Kilkenny $4,221
Cork $5,807

Living in Kilkenny costs roughly 27% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kilkenny 72% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.87

$21.95 €19.72

-24.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.5

$88.5 €79.5

-23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 €9.00

$12.85 €11.54

-22.02%

Cappuccino

$4.28 €3.85

$4.45 €3.99

-3.82%

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

$2.98 €2.68

$2.86 €2.57

4.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.24 €2.01

-2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 €5.90

$7.35 €6.60

-10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 €5.84

$7.25 €6.51

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.20

$1.70 €1.53

-21.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.33 €2.09

0.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.86 €1.67

-17.74%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.94

$4.42 €3.97

-0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 €9.43

$14.15 €12.71

-25.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 €5.14

$12.73 €11.43

-55.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 €6.13

$16.37 €14.71

-58.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$3.28 €2.95

-30.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.89 €2.59

-22.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$3.37 €3.03

-10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$4.80 €4.31

-40.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$2.25 €2.02

-45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.75 €1.57

-34.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.38 €1.24

-38.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.65

$2.15 €1.93

-14.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.42 €18.34

$20.31 €18.24

0.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 €12.74

$13.54 €12.16

4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.43

$4.14 €3.71

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.93

$3.53 €3.17

23.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.44

$1.71 €1.53

58.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.79

$5.23 €4.69

2.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.49 €1.34

-5.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.4 €50.7

$32.62 €29.30

72.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.13 €1.91

-4.23%

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

$38.2K €34.3K

$38.6K €34.7K

-1.01%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$37.6K €33.8K

2.09%

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

$181 €162

$235 €211

-23.30%

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

$20.72 €18.62

$21.68 €19.47

-4.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.55

$55.8 €50.1

-7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 €62.4

$54.7 €49.12

26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.10

$15.40 €13.84

45.32%

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 €12.16

$13.24 €11.90

2.19%

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

$877 €788

$1,071 €962

-18.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,741

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$95.2 €85.6

6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.88 €33.13

$41.83 €37.57

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €100

$106 €94.9

5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 €84.5

$118 €106

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,378

$2,207 €1,982

-30.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 €1,125

$1,833 €1,647

-31.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 €2,353

$3,210 €2,883

-18.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 €1,633

$2,723 €2,446

-33.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,172 €7,341

$5,257 €4,722

55.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 €2,047

$3,407 €3,061

-33.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,765 €2,484

$3,787 €3,402

-26.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.14

-11.11%

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

Last update for Kilkenny: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kilkenny

$1.3K 53.5%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 46.4% $581

Eating Out

Kilkenny

$280 12%

Cork

$339 10.6% 21% $59

Groceries & Markets

Kilkenny

$280 12%

Cork

$388 12.1% 38.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilkenny

$253 10.8%

Cork

$313 9.7% 23.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Kilkenny

$155 6.6%

Cork

$162 5.1% 4.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kilkenny

$96 4.1%

Cork

$81 2.5% 15.9% $15

Getting Around

Kilkenny

$23 * 1%

Cork

$97 3% 317% $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 $1,534 in Kilkenny and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Kilkenny vs $88 in Cork for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $388 per month, with Kilkenny cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

Same time as Kilkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,500

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kilkenny Cork 120 km

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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

Kilkenny vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,340 in Kilkenny and $3,214 in Cork, so Kilkenny is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Kilkenny. 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: $1,534 in Kilkenny versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,340 per month in Kilkenny versus $3,214 in Cork – Kilkenny is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Kilkenny and Cork are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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