Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sligo and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Sligo: $1,795 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Sligo
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Sligo Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Sligo

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,795

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,795 in Sligo versus $3,214 in Cork.

Sligo $1,795
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,734 in Sligo versus $4,510 in Cork.

Sligo $2,734
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,672 in Sligo versus $5,807 in Cork.

Sligo $3,672
Cork $5,807

Living in Sligo costs roughly 44% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sligo 32% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.98 €15.22

$21.95 €19.67

-22.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 €71.1

$88.5 €79.3

-10.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €8.19

$12.85 €11.52

-28.87%

Cappuccino

$3.71 €3.32

$4.45 €3.98

-16.63%

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

$2.63 €2.35

$2.86 €2.57

-8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.24 €2.01

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.35 €6.59

-10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 €5.44

$7.25 €6.50

-16.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.70 €1.52

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.33 €2.09

-36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.86 €1.67

-13.98%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.10

$4.42 €3.96

-21.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 €7.71

$14.15 €12.68

-39.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 €7.97

$12.73 €11.40

-30.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.92

$16.37 €14.67

-32.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$3.28 €2.94

-38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.89 €2.59

-40.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$3.37 €3.02

-13.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$4.80 €4.30

-43.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.25 €2.02

-24.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.75 €1.57

-32.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.38 €1.23

-5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.15 €1.92

-23.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.45 €15.63

$20.31 €18.20

-14.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 €9.86

$13.54 €12.13

-18.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$4.14 €3.71

-35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.41

$3.53 €3.17

7.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.71 €1.53

27.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$5.23 €4.68

6.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.7 €59.8

$32.62 €29.23

104.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.13 €1.91

-6.57%

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

$38.3K €34.3K

$38.6K €34.6K

-0.89%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$37.6K €33.7K

1.04%

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

$162 €145

$235 €211

-31.36%

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

$22.47 €20.14

$21.68 €19.42

3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.00 €40.32

$55.8 €49.97

-19.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 €58.2

$54.7 €49.00

18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.97 €9.83

$15.40 €13.80

-28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.14

$13.24 €11.87

-14.58%

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

$808 €724

$1,071 €960

-24.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,264 €2,029

$5,278 €4,730

-57.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €78.3

$95.2 €85.3

-8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 €25.45

$41.83 €37.48

-32.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 €66.3

$106 €94.6

-29.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 €78.9

$118 €106

-25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,203

$2,207 €1,977

-39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 €705

$1,833 €1,643

-57.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 €2,034

$3,210 €2,876

-29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,207

$2,723 €2,440

-50.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,140 €1,918

$5,257 €4,711

-59.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,053

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,073 €3,650

$3,787 €3,393

7.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

4.14

-13.04%

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

Last update for Sligo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sligo

$787 43.9%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 133% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sligo

$273 15.2%

Cork

$388 12.1% 42% $115

Eating Out

Sligo

$271 15.1%

Cork

$339 10.6% 25.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sligo

$229 12.8%

Cork

$313 9.7% 36.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sligo

$125 7%

Cork

$162 5.1% 29.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sligo

$88 4.9%

Cork

$81 2.5% 7.4% $6.4

Getting Around

Sligo

$22 * 1.2%

Cork

$97 3% 346% $75

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 $1,342 in Sligo and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sligo pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Sligo vs $88 in Cork for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $388 per month, with Sligo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Sligo

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Sligo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,608

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sligo Cork 260 km

From you

Sligo
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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

Sligo vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,795 in Sligo and $3,214 in Cork, so Sligo is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Sligo, 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: $1,342 in Sligo versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,795 per month in Sligo versus $3,214 in Cork – Sligo is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,795 in Sligo versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sligo but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Sligo 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, Sligo and Cork are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.