ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Cork

Cork is a city in Ireland. An estimate placed a monthly public-transport pass at €68 in 2026. A monthly estimate placed internet service at €47.82 in August 2026. Monthly mean temperatures were 5.8°C in January and 15.1°C in July.

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

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.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Cork recurring monthly costs, € per month€967Private kindergarten€216Utilities, 85 m² flat€68Transport pass€49Fitness club€48Internet, 60 Mbps€20Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly48.8 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Col Groceries Index Basket Eur Month98.52 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited47.82 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly966.9 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant18.99 eur3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB19.77 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Cork. Jul 2026. Prices in Cork16Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass68 EUR/month26 Jul 2026TFI Leap Card Cork12Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home215.5 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 8% in April 2022.

What is the unemployment rate in Cork?

The unemployment rate is 8 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town4

Unemployment across cities in IrelandUnemployment in Cork is 8.0%. Of 62 cities with data, 17 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Ireland per band6 cities: 4% to under 6%64–617 cities: 6% to under 8%176–811 cities: 8% to under 10%118–10Cork 8.0%13 cities: 10% to under 12%1310–127 cities: 12% to under 14%712–145 cities: 14% to under 16%514–163 cities: 16% to under 18%316–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate8 %country median 9.5%3 Apr 2022CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town4Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Cork. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Intreo employment service — Public employment service

Department of Social Protection, Ireland

Job Search
Open official service
Open the Ireland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Cork. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
G08 TransportBus Éireann / Iarnród Éireann (NTA Cork area)27 Aug 2026migrationfit.com8Official
Destinations from nearest airport30 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Nearest airportORK3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Distance to nearest airport6 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Public transport monthly pass68 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo16Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration in Cork

3 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
3verified local records

Ables Adult Literacy Scheme

Community Services Building, Carnloch Drive, Glen Avenue, The Glen, Co. Cork

(021) 455 3180 · fiona.long@corketb.ie

View official record

Altrusa Literacy Scheme

Douglas Street Education Services Centre, 107 Douglas Street, Cork

(021) 425 5542 · mary.ryder@corketb.ie

View official record

Cork College of FET — Morrison’s Island Campus

(086) 103 5343 · mark.daughton@corketb.ie

View official record
Check courses in CorkHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Monthly precipitation was 131.3 mm in January and 87.2 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 6.4 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Cork?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.4 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries5

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

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Cork average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°JFMAMJJASOND19°3°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Cork average monthly precipitation, mm035701051401319792878183879592131127137JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Cork average monthly sunshine, hours0501001502006174111160191184164158129997555JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Cork annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5256.4PM2.5104026.0NO₂µg/m³

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 is 6.4 µg/m³. Of 58 cities with data, 22 have annual PM2.5 of 7 to under 8 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Ireland per band10 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³105–64 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³46–7Cork 6.422 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³227–812 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³128–94 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³49–103 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³310–111 city: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³111–122 cities: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³212–13

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean26 µg/m³31 Dec 2005Eurostat6Official
PM2.5 — annual mean6.4 µg/m³country median 7.031 Dec 2024EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries5Official
Annual mean temperature (modelled)9.71 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)1,198 mm/year2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)5.64 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)-7 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)25.89 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)14.82 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)3.28 mm/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)3.03 kWh/m²/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Average daytime high by monthJan 8.2 · Feb 8.5 · Mar 9.8 · Apr 12 · May 14.6 · Jun 17 · Jul 18.6 · Aug 18.4 · Sep 16.5 · Oct 13.3 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 8.7 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI13Official
Average night-time low by monthJan 3.2 · Feb 3.2 · Mar 3.9 · Apr 5.3 · May 7.6 · Jun 10.1 · Jul 11.7 · Aug 11.6 · Sep 10.2 · Oct 8 · Nov 5.3 · Dec 3.8 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Average temperature by monthJan 5.8 · Feb 5.9 · Mar 6.8 · Apr 8.5 · May 11 · Jun 13.5 · Jul 15.1 · Aug 15 · Sep 13.3 · Oct 10.5 · Nov 7.8 · Dec 6.2 °C31 Dec 2020Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport7Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 131.3 · Feb 97.2 · Mar 91.5 · Apr 86.5 · May 80.8 · Jun 83.3 · Jul 87.2 · Aug 94.6 · Sep 92 · Oct 131.2 · Nov 127 · Dec 136.6 mm31 Dec 2020Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport7Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 60.9 · Feb 74.2 · Mar 110.5 · Apr 160.4 · May 191.1 · Jun 184.1 · Jul 164.1 · Aug 158.4 · Sep 129 · Oct 98.9 · Nov 74.5 · Dec 54.7 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI15Official

Cities of a similar size in Ireland

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Ireland cities
Swords40,776 residentsDublin1,263,219 residentsEnnis27,923 residentsNaas26,180 residentsTralee26,079 residentsBalbriggan24,322 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Cork?

The published population was 222,526 people in 2022. Source: A-ccepted source for Census 2022 BUA population1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Cork residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport86.2%Foreign residents13.8%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Foreign-resident share17.56 %31 Dec 2022Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)2Official
Foreign residents30,687 people3 Apr 2022CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence3Official
G01 Area Km2187.2 km²31 Dec 2022migrationfit.com8Official
G01 Density Per Km21,125 people/km²31 Dec 2022migrationfit.com8Official
Population222,526 people3 Apr 2022A-ccepted source for Census 2022 BUA population1Official
Population over time7 published observations, 1996–2022
Population in Cork by year, residents104,059146,473188,887231,3011996200420062022222,526residents

Population rose 85.3% between 1996 and 2022, from 120,107 to 222,526.

Foreign residents30,687 people3 Apr 2022Official source · CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence
Population222,526 people3 Apr 2022Official source · A-ccepted source for Census 2022 BUA population
Unemployment rate8 %3 Apr 2022Official source · CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town
NO₂ — annual mean26 µg/m³31 Dec 2005Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean6.4 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries
Annual mean temperature (modelled)9.71 °C2001-2020Modelled grid data · NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G05 Handoffhttps://www.irishimmigration.ie/ url27 Aug 2026migrationfit.com8Official

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics
28
Decision domains
4
Current facts
28

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Cork 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.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Cork?

The published population was 222,526 people in 2022. Source: A-ccepted source for Census 2022 BUA population.

Is the air quality good in Cork?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.4 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries.

What is the unemployment rate in Cork?

The unemployment rate is 8 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town.

How many foreign residents live in Cork?

30,687 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence.

How much is public transport in Cork?

A monthly transport pass is 68 EUR/month. Source: TFI Leap Card Cork.

Is Cork a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

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, September 12). Cork, Ireland: cost of living, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cork-ireland-cost-of-living-jobs-climate_841092aacac7,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cork, Ireland: cost of living, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Cork, Ireland: cost of living, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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
  1. A-ccepted source for Census 2022 BUA population cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
  2. Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) cso.ie · checked 2026-08-03
  3. CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence CSO Census 2022 F5003 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
  4. CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town CSO Census 2022 F7115 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
  5. EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries EEA City Trend · eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-27
  6. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) · met.ie · checked 2026-07-27
  8. migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
  9. NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-09-12
  10. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
Show 6 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. TFI Leap Card Cork about.leapcard.ie · checked 2026-07-26
  3. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  4. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  5. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.