Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Portlaoise: $2,347 a month against $3,202 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $3,202 in Cork.

Portlaoise $2,347
Cork $3,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,746 in Portlaoise versus $4,537 in Cork.

Portlaoise $3,746
Cork $4,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,145 in Portlaoise versus $5,872 in Cork.

Portlaoise $5,145
Cork $5,872

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portlaoise 74% above, Cork 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$22.38 €19.90

1.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$90.2 €80.2

-12.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.31

$12.59 €11.20

1.03%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$4.24 €3.77

3.77%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$2.90 €2.58

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.17 €1.93

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$7.30 €6.49

-9.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$7.20 €6.41

-15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.65 €1.47

3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.35 €2.09

-4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.96 €1.74

-5.10%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.41 €3.92

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.48

$14.09 €12.53

-0.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.45

$12.71 €11.30

1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$16.49 €14.67

1.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.28 €2.92

1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.94 €2.61

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$3.39 €3.01

-3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$4.83 €4.29

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.24 €2.00

3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.76 €1.56

-1.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 €1.25

-2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.17 €1.93

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.12

$20.11 €17.89

1.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$13.44 €11.95

0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$4.23 €3.76

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.47 €3.09

4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$1.66 €1.48

180.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$77.3 €68.8

-43.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$5.25 €4.67

-0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$32.91 €29.27

1.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.07 €1.84

-1.93%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.2K €34.8K

-0.86%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$37.3K €33.2K

2.06%

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

$239 €212

$242 €216

-1.54%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$22.05 €19.61

-1.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.40

$55.2 €49.07

0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$53.3 €47.36

3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.53

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$13.36 €11.88

0.67%

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

$1,072 €953

$1,061 €944

0.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

$5,355 €4,763

1.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$96.3 €85.6

-1.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.94

$42.16 €37.50

1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$107 €95.1

1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$120 €107

0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$2,137 €1,901

-42.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$1,812 €1,612

-45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$3,277 €2,914

-30.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$2,767 €2,461

-22.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,889 €4,348

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,095 €2,752

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$3,873 €3,445

-28.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.14

-15.46%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Cork

$1.8K 56.6% 84.2% $828

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Cork

$389 12.2% 0% $0.2

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Cork

$339 10.6% 1.3% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Cork

$320 10% 1.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Cork

$165 5.1% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Cork

$80 2.5% 2.8% $2.3

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Cork

$97 3% 28.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Portlaoise and $2,137 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays 39% 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: $78.0 in Portlaoise vs $90.0 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $389, with Cork cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Portlaoise vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portlaoise and Cork differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,347 vs $3,202 including rent). Portlaoise is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $1,229 in Portlaoise versus $2,137 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cork pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Portlaoise – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $90.0 in Cork. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $3,202 in Cork, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Portlaoise but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Portlaoise 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, Portlaoise and Cork are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Portlaoise gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Cork. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.