Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Swords: $2,598 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,598 in Swords versus $3,214 in Cork.

Swords $2,598
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,804 in Swords versus $4,510 in Cork.

Swords $3,804
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,010 in Swords versus $5,807 in Cork.

Swords $5,010
Cork $5,807

Living in Swords costs roughly 19% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swords 91% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.91

$21.95 €19.72

0.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.6

$88.5 €79.5

11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.86

$12.85 €11.55

2.72%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.43

$4.45 €3.99

10.79%

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

$2.98 €2.68

$2.86 €2.57

4.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.24 €2.01

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$7.35 €6.61

9.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.05

$7.25 €6.51

-7.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.70 €1.53

-7.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.33 €2.09

0.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$1.86 €1.67

9.14%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$4.42 €3.97

-4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.89

$14.15 €12.71

-30.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.76

$12.73 €11.44

-14.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.94

$16.37 €14.71

-18.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$3.28 €2.95

-16.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.89 €2.59

-21.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$3.37 €3.03

-17.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$4.80 €4.31

-13.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.25 €2.02

-16.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.33

$1.75 €1.57

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.38 €1.24

-5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.15 €1.93

-11.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.44

$20.31 €18.24

1.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.03

$13.54 €12.17

-1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.01

$4.14 €3.72

-19.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$3.53 €3.18

-2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.71 €1.54

32.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.49

$5.23 €4.70

-4.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.49 €1.34

-1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.55

$32.62 €29.31

14.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.13 €1.91

1.41%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

-0.10%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$37.6K €33.8K

1.06%

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

$246 €221

$235 €211

4.66%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$21.68 €19.48

-13.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.97

$55.8 €50.1

-8.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.46

$54.7 €49.13

-25.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.07

$13.24 €11.90

1.44%

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

$1,010 €907

$1,071 €962

-5.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,656

$5,278 €4,742

-1.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.0

$95.2 €85.6

5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.18

$41.83 €37.58

14.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$106 €94.9

2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$118 €106

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,398

$2,207 €1,983

-29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,206

$1,833 €1,647

-26.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,322

$3,210 €2,884

-19.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,945

$2,723 €2,447

-20.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,242

$5,257 €4,723

-10.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,097

$3,407 €3,062

1.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,402

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 Swords: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 36.6% $491

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Cork

$339 10.6% 3.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Cork

$388 12.1% 16% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Cork

$313 9.7% 1.1% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Cork

$162 5.1% 2.2% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Cork

$81 2.5% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Cork

$97 3% 354% $76

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 $1,556 in Swords and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99 in Swords vs $88 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $388, with Swords cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

Same time as Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Swords Cork 230 km

From you

Swords
Cork

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

Swords vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swords and Cork differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,598 vs $3,214 including rent). Swords is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,897 in Swords and $4,821 in Cork to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,556 in Swords 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 $2,598 per month in Swords versus $3,214 in Cork – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,598 in Swords versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Swords but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Swords 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, Swords 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.