Living in Cork city and suburbs

In Cork city and suburbs, tenants pay an average rent of €1,903 a month (2026) and unemployment is 8% (2022).

In April 2022, Cork city and suburbs had a population of 222,526.

Last checked 2026-10-0413 sources

Population222,526people3 Apr 2022Official source · CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size

Median gross salary (region)3,744EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)

Average rent1,903EUR/month31 Mar 2026Official source · The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026

Unemployment rate8%country median 9.4% — 14% belowOfficial source · Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)

Recorded crime4,381incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Regional figureOfficial source · CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter

PM2.5, annual mean7.78µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)

Which Ireland-wide rules apply when you move to Cork city and suburbs?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in IrelandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Cork city and suburbs.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Cork city and suburbs. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€76

Transport pass€68

Mobile plan, 10 GB€40

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	75.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir 500 Mbps broadband⁹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	39.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir Mobile Essential¹⁰Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	68 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	TFI Cork Red Zone monthly ticket¹²Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,903 EUR/month	31 Mar 2026	The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026¹³Official

Is Cork city and suburbs a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker27%strong on work, weak on safety · range 17–37%

Skilled employee34%strong on work, weak on education · range 25–43%

Student32%strong on cost, weak on education · range 21–43%

Family27%strong on family, weak on education · range 16–38%

Retirement32%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 19–45%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Cork city and suburbs?

The unemployment rate is 8 % (2022). Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)³

Unemployment across cities in IrelandUnemployment in Cork city and suburbs is 8.0%. Of 90 cities with data, 21 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–18

Cork city and suburbs 8.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	4,593 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)¹¹Official · county
Public employment offices	1 count	15 Sept 2026	Cork City Intreo Centre⁷Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,744 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024)¹¹Official · county
Unemployment rate	8 %country median 9.4%	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)³Official

What does a salary buy in Cork city and suburbs?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€996of €3,083 take-home

Rent
Transport
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.	€3,083
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026 · 2026-03-31	− €1,903
Public transport pass€68 · official · TFI Cork Red Zone monthly ticket · 2024-12-31	− €68
Utilities, 85 m²not published for this city	—
Internet€76 · official · eir 500 Mbps broadband · 2026-09-30	− €76
Mobile plan€40 · official · eir Mobile Essential · 2026-09-30	− €40
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish	€996

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Cork city and suburbs Salary needed to live in Cork city and suburbs

Public employment offices in Cork city and suburbs

Cork City Intreo Centre lists 1 public employment office in Cork city and suburbs (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Intreo employment service — Public employment service

Department of Social Protection, Ireland

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Ireland service overview

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,381 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter⁵Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Cork city and suburbs. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Education and Training Board adult English language skills and ESOL — State Language Course

The 16 Education and Training Boards across Ireland

For adult migrants, refugees, adults who need to improve English.

EnglishFree

Open official information

Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs) — Newcomer Adaptation

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

For new arrivals, people who applied for International Protection, refugees, people from Ukraine.

EnglishIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Ireland section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Cork city and suburbs.

Find courses near Cork city and suburbs

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Cork city and suburbs?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 7.78 µg/m³ · Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)¹

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57.8WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in IrelandAnnual PM2.5 in Cork city and suburbs is 7.8 µg/m³. Of 68 cities with data, 23 have annual PM2.5 of 7 to under 8 µg/m³.

5–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–13

Cork city and suburbs 7.8

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.78 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged)¹Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Cork city and suburbs?

The published population was 222,526 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁸

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport86.2%
Foreign residents13.8%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign-resident share	14.1 %	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Foreign residents	30,687 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Female residents	113,496 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁸Official
Male residents	109,030 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁸Official
Population	222,526 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁸Official

International community in Cork city and suburbs

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	219,445	100.0%
Ireland	174,501	79.5%
Rest of World	16,179	7.4%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	11,647	5.3%
United Kingdom	8,690	4.0%
Poland	5,034	2.3%
India	3,394	1.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	219,445	100.0%
Ireland	180,917	82.4%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	11,429	5.2%
Rest of World	9,411	4.3%
Not stated	7,834	3.6%
Poland	4,462	2.0%
India	2,995	1.4%
United Kingdom	2,397	1.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Population Usually Resident and Present in the State · 2022

Published group	People	Share
All citizenships	218,870	100.0%
Ireland	180,521	82.5%
Citizenship not stated	7,306	3.3%
Poland	4,449	2.0%
India	3,003	1.4%
Other EU27 (2020)	2,865	1.3%
Other Asia(1)	2,424	1.1%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)	2,377	1.1%
Spain	1,749	0.8%
Italy	1,563	0.7%

Show 17 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Africa(1)	1,475	0.7%
France	1,415	0.6%
Brazil	1,199	0.5%
Croatia	1,144	0.5%
Germany	883	0.4%
China	832	0.4%
Other America(1)	820	0.4%
Lithuania	798	0.4%
Rest of Europe(1)	655	0.3%
Multiple/Dual citizenship	642	0.3%
Romania	639	0.3%
United States of America (the)	604	0.3%
Ukraine	403	0.2%
Latvia	380	0.2%
No citizenship	356	0.2%
Other countries	213	0.1%
Australia	155	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Alternatives for people set on Cork city and suburbs

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Midleton as a Cork city and suburbs alternative in the same region

19 km away, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 13,906 Midleton vs 222,526 Cork city and suburbs−94%
Median gross pay, region: €3,896 (2025) Midleton vs €3,744 (2024) Cork city and suburbsno percentage
Foreign residents: 18.3% Midleton vs 14.1% Cork city and suburbs+30%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,381 Midleton vs 4,381 Cork city and suburbssame level

Full comparison More about Midleton

Cities near Cork city and suburbs

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Ireland

Other cities in Ireland to compare with Cork city and suburbs, nearest in population first.

All Ireland cities

Cork222,526 residents Limerick102,287 residents Galway85,910 residents Galway city and suburbs85,910 residents Waterford60,079 residents Drogheda44,135 residents

How does Cork city and suburbs compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Cork city and suburbs's.

Open the full comparison

Cork city and suburbs in rankings

#3 of 27 in Largest cities in Ireland #6 of 25 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Ireland #13 of 25 in Cities with cleanest air in Ireland #25 of 27 in Most international cities in Ireland

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Cork city and suburbs when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: English as additional language support (whole-school approach, National Strategy Literacy and Numeracy 2011). How to enrol a child (gov.ie).

A country-wide rule for Ireland; Cork city and suburbs's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Cork city and suburbs?

The published population was 222,526 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size.

Is the air quality good in Cork city and suburbs?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged).

What is the unemployment rate in Cork city and suburbs?

The unemployment rate is 8 % (2022). Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO).

What is the typical salary around Cork city and suburbs?

The median gross salary is 3,744 EUR/month. Source: NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024).

How many foreign residents live in Cork city and suburbs?

30,687 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO).

Is Cork city and suburbs a good place to live?

Cork city and suburbs may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Cork city and suburbs?

Passage West-Monkstown, Carrigaline, Cobh, Carrigtwohill, Midleton are near Cork city and suburbs. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Ireland live in Cork city and suburbs?

The official country of birth distribution records 174,501 people (79.5%) in the source-defined population for 2022. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 25). Cork city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version a02328bd75e01b38aed9cdc6886a780a]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork-city-and-suburbs/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cork-city-and-suburbs-ireland-population-rent-salary_a4644cfd02e3,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cork city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {a02328bd75e01b38aed9cdc6886a780a},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork-city-and-suburbs/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Cork city and suburbs, Ireland: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork-city-and-suburbs/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version a02328bd75e01b38aed9cdc6886a780a; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Annual AQ statistics (AirBase & e-Reporting merged) discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-23
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistics Office Ireland country of birth distribution ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-28
CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter CJQ05 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-10-03
Coordinate identity evidence services-eu1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
Cork City Intreo Centre gov.ie · checked 2026-09-15
CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size CSO Census 2022 F5134 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
eir 500 Mbps broadband eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
eir Mobile Essential home.eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15

Show 3 more sources

NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2024) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-09-28
TFI Cork Red Zone monthly ticket about.leapcard.ie · checked 2026-09-15
The RTB Rent Index Q1 2026 rtb.ie · checked 2026-10-03

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