Cork logs 3 outdoor-dinner months a year to Dublin's 2 — Cork wins by 1. Dublin also leads on frost days by 1.

Cork runs about $2,677/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Dublin's $3,452/mo — Cork comes in $775 cheaper each month, roughly 29% less.

Cork and Dublin score neck-and-neck on mobility (2.6 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).

Dublin's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Cork's 3.4, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

Dublin's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Cork's 3.7, with the biggest gap on sea access. Cork still holds an edge on forest access.

Cork's safety score is ~1.4× Dublin's — in the upper band, while Dublin lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on property crime safety. Dublin still holds an edge on wildfire safety.

Dublin's career score of 4.1 sits well above Cork's 3.2, with the biggest gap on economic scale.

Dublin's social & community score of 4.1 sits well above Cork's 3.8, with the biggest gap on expat-first community.

On food & dining, Dublin scores 3.4 vs Cork's 2.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability.

On family, Dublin scores 3.2 vs Cork's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on yoga studios.

Cork and Dublin score neck-and-neck on healthcare (2.7 vs 2.7, 0–5 scale).

Cork averages 7.5 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Dublin's 7.3 µg/m³ (good) — Dublin breathes ~2% cleaner air (0.1 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here