Cost of living comparison

 Cork, Ireland
compared to
 Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne vs. Cork Cost of Living Summary

Melbourne is 19.9% more expensive than Cork.

Restaurants
pay 1.1% more in Melbourne
Groceries
pay 0.1% more in Melbourne
Transportation
pay 15.5% less in Melbourne
Housing
pay 12.1% less in Melbourne
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more in Melbourne
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.7% more in Melbourne
Clothing
pay 5.4% more in Melbourne

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in Melbourne are more expensive than in Cork. Expenses including transportation and housing are lower in Melbourne. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Melbourne.

Melbourne vs. Cork Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Melbourne instead of Cork, you would:

pay 1.1% more for restaurants

 
Cork
Melbourne
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.29
€16.38
$16.48
A$25.14
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.72
€9.10
$9.89
A$15.08
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.42
€2.05
$2.65
A$4.04

Improve prices ·

pay 0.1% more for groceries

 
Cork
Melbourne
Bread
1 loaf
$1.80
€1.53
$2.52
A$3.85
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.68
€4.83
$4.55
A$6.95
Milk (1 gallon) $5.24
€4.45
$5.26
A$8.03

Improve prices ·

pay 15.5% less for transportation

 
Cork
Melbourne
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.08
€6.01
$4.69
A$7.15
Monthly public transit pass $97.53
€82.80
$118.63
A$181.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $39,306.91
€33,371.25
$29,276.08
A$44,669.04

Improve prices ·

pay 12.1% less for housing

 
Cork
Melbourne
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$48.09
€40.83
$52.42
A$79.99
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,650.27
€1,401.07
$1,479.56
A$2,257.49
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,396.86
€1,185.93
$1,242.77
A$1,896.19

Improve prices ·

pay 2.5 times more for childcare

 
Cork
Melbourne
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,174.87
€997.45
$1,828.91
A$2,790.52
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,162.64
€5,232.03
$20,887.75
A$31,870.24

Improve prices ·

pay 12.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Cork
Melbourne
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.43
€5.46
$7.91
A$12.07
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.02
€3.41
$3.46
A$5.28
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$17.68
€15.01
$29.66
A$45.25

Improve prices ·

pay 5.4% more for clothing

 
Cork
Melbourne
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$106.46
€90.39
$77.15
A$117.72
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$46.00
€39.05
$49.87
A$76.10
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$87.75
€74.50
$107.61
A$164.19

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Ireland vs. Australia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Ireland and Australia.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Melbourne or Cork. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.