Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wicklow and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Wicklow: $2,446 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Wicklow
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Wicklow Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Wicklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,446

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,446 in Wicklow versus $3,214 in Cork.

Wicklow $2,446
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,745 in Wicklow versus $4,510 in Cork.

Wicklow $3,745
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,045 in Wicklow versus $5,807 in Cork.

Wicklow $5,045
Cork $5,807

Living in Wicklow costs roughly 24% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wicklow 80% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.44 €13.87

$21.95 €19.72

-29.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.6

$88.5 €79.5

24.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 €8.30

$12.85 €11.54

-28.09%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.66

$4.45 €3.99

-8.54%

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

$2.57 €2.31

$2.86 €2.57

-10.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.24 €2.01

-7.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.10

$7.35 €6.60

-7.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 €5.29

$7.25 €6.51

-18.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.41

$1.70 €1.53

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.33 €2.09

-26.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.86 €1.67

22.04%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.90

$4.42 €3.97

-1.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$14.15 €12.71

18.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 €9.07

$12.73 €11.43

-20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$16.37 €14.71

-52.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.28 €2.95

-5.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.89 €2.59

-25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 €2.74

$3.37 €3.03

-9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 €3.65

$4.80 €4.31

-15.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.25 €2.02

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.75 €1.57

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.38 €1.24

-5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.15 €1.93

-14.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.47 €18.39

$20.31 €18.24

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 €12.42

$13.54 €12.16

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.03

$4.14 €3.71

-45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.53 €3.17

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.71 €1.53

69.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 €69.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 €2.27

$5.23 €4.69

-51.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.49 €1.34

-5.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.88 €28.64

$32.62 €29.30

-2.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.13 €1.91

-5.63%

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

$36.8K €33.0K

$38.6K €34.7K

-4.83%

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

$38.0K €34.2K

$37.6K €33.8K

1.14%

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

$225 €202

$235 €211

-4.31%

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

$20.97 €18.83

$21.68 €19.47

-3.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.98 €30.53

$55.8 €50.1

-39.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 €52.5

$54.7 €49.12

6.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 €12.02

$13.24 €11.90

1.06%

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

$1,871 €1,681

$1,071 €962

74.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,278 €4,741

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €89.5

$95.2 €85.6

4.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 €30.58

$41.83 €37.57

-18.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 €60.2

$106 €94.9

-36.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$118 €106

-3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,527

$2,207 €1,982

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 €1,192

$1,833 €1,647

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,977 €2,674

$3,210 €2,883

-7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 €2,149

$2,723 €2,446

-12.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,257 €4,722

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 €3,061

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,481 €4,923

$3,787 €3,402

44.73%

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 Wicklow: 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

Wicklow

$1.3K 54.3%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 38.1% $506

Groceries & Markets

Wicklow

$326 13.3%

Cork

$388 12.1% 19.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wicklow

$280 11.5%

Cork

$313 9.7% 11.7% $33

Eating Out

Wicklow

$264 10.8%

Cork

$339 10.6% 28.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Wicklow

$142 5.8%

Cork

$162 5.1% 14.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Wicklow

$85 3.5%

Cork

$81 2.5% 4.7% $4

Getting Around

Wicklow

$21 * 0.9%

Cork

$97 3% 358% $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 $1,700 in Wicklow and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wicklow pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $110 in Wicklow vs $88 in Cork. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $388, with Wicklow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Wicklow

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

Same time as Wicklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,957

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wicklow Cork 200 km

From you

Wicklow
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

Wicklow vs Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wicklow and Cork differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,446 vs $3,214 including rent). Wicklow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Wicklow, 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: $1,700 in Wicklow versus $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,446 per month in Wicklow versus $3,214 in Cork – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,446 in Wicklow versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wicklow but tight or insufficient in Cork. The gap between the two cities makes Wicklow 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, Wicklow 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.