Living in Cork

In Cork, unemployment is 8% (2022).

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.

Last checked 2026-09-0316 sources

Population222,526people3 Apr 2022Official source · Census 2022 BUA population

Unemployment rate8%country median 9.4% — 14% belowOfficial source · CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town

PM2.5, annual mean6.4µg/m³country median 7.0 — 9% belowOfficial source · EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries

Lower unemployment than 67% of Irish cities that publish it and cleaner air than 76% of Irish cities that publish it.

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

€ / month

Private kindergarten€967

Utilities, 85 m² flat€216

Transport pass€68

Fitness club€49

Internet, 60 Mbps€48

Mobile plan, 10 GB€20

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps, Mobile plan, 10 GB. The others are published prices.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	48.8 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	98.52 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	47.82 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	966.9 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	18.99 eur	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	19.77 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Cork. Jul 2026. Prices in Cork¹⁶Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	68 EUR/month	26 Jul 2026	TFI Leap Card Cork¹²Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	215.5 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Is Cork 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 worker42%strong on work, weak on safety · range 32–52%

Skilled employee55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–65%

Student50%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 38–62%

Family51%strong on family, weak on safety · range 39–63%

Retirement47%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 35–59%

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 90 cities with data, 21 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–18

Cork 8.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	8 %country median 9.4%	3 Apr 2022	CSO 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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public transport access	Bus Éireann / Iarnród Éireann (NTA Cork area)	27 Aug 2026	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Destinations from nearest airport	30 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁰Official
Nearest airport	ORK	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official
Distance to nearest airport	6 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official
Public transport monthly pass	68 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁶Supplemental 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 Cork How the country programme works

Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Cork

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

8°3°

10°4°

12°5°

15°8°

17°10°

19°12°

18°12°

16°10°

13°8°

10°5°

9°4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

131

127

137

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

111

160

191

184

164

158

129

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

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

PM2.56.4WHO 5 · EU 25

NO₂26WHO 10 · EU 40

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 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 6.4

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	26 µg/m³	31 Dec 2005	Eurostat⁶Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	6.4 µg/m³country median 7.0	31 Dec 2024	EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries⁵Official
Annual mean temperature (modelled)	9.71 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)	1,198 mm/year	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)	5.64 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)	-7 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)	25.89 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)	14.82 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)	3.28 mm/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)	3.03 kWh/m²/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology⁹Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Average daytime high by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹³Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁴Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 2020	Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport⁷Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 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 mm	31 Dec 2020	Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport⁷Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 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 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official

Similar climate. In Ireland: Limerick ±0.7 °C. Elsewhere: Belfast (United Kingdom) ±0.6 °C, Blackpool (United Kingdom) ±0.7 °C, Birkenhead (United Kingdom) ±0.8 °C, Liverpool (United Kingdom) ±0.8 °C, St Helens (United Kingdom) ±0.8 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Cork?

The published population was 222,526 people in 2022. Source: Census 2022 BUA population¹

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 30,687 is not 17.6% of the population. Each row names its source.

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	17.56 %	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)²Official
Foreign residents	30,687 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence³Official
City area	187.2 km²	31 Dec 2022	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Population density	1,125 people/km²	31 Dec 2022	migrationfit.com⁸Official
Population	222,526 people	3 Apr 2022	Census 2022 BUA population¹Official

Population over time7 published observations, 1996–2022

104,059

146,473

188,887

231,301

222,5261996200420062022

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

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Administrative handoff status	https://www.irishimmigration.ie/ url	27 Aug 2026	migrationfit.com⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Cork

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.

Valencia as a Cork alternative in another country

Better on 3 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Transport pass: €35 Valencia vs €68 Cork−49%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €140 Valencia vs €216 Cork−35%
Foreign residents: 15.7% (2024) Valencia vs 17.6% (2022) Corkno percentage
A meal out: €15 Valencia vs €19 Cork−21%

Full comparison More about Valencia

Alternative cities in Ireland

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

All Ireland cities

Cork city and suburbs222,526 residents Limerick102,287 residents Galway85,910 residents Galway city and suburbs85,910 residents Waterford60,079 residents Drogheda44,135 residents

How does Cork compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Cork in rankings

#2 of 27 in Largest cities in Ireland #4 of 30 in Major cities with the highest modelled annual precipitation #5 of 25 in Cities with cleanest air in Ireland #5 of 25 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Ireland #8 of 27 in Major cities where the modelled January mean stays above freezing #20 of 27 in Most international cities in Ireland

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.

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'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?

The published population was 222,526 people in 2022. Source: Census 2022 BUA population.

Is the air quality good in Cork?

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 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?

Cork 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.

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, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; version aa57ec3f97219fa89df7f38c054b2412]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cork-ireland-population-cost-of-living-jobs-air-quality_151441cb1951,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cork, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {aa57ec3f97219fa89df7f38c054b2412},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Cork, Ireland: population, cost of living, jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/cork/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version aa57ec3f97219fa89df7f38c054b2412; 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

Census 2022 BUA population cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO) cso.ie · checked 2026-08-03
CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence CSO Census 2022 F5003 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town CSO Census 2022 F7115 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
EEA City Trend — annual PM2.5 mean within city administrative boundaries EEA City Trend · eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-27
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) — Cork Airport Met Éireann monthly station data (LTA 1991-2020) · met.ie · checked 2026-07-27
migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-10-25
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03

Show 6 more sources

OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
TFI Leap Card Cork about.leapcard.ie · checked 2026-07-26
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03

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