Cork logs 7 frost days a year to Galway's 12 — Cork wins by 5. Cork also leads on sunny days by 19.

Cork runs about $2,677/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Galway's $2,554/mo — Galway comes in $123 cheaper each month, roughly 5% less.

On mobility, Cork scores 2.6 vs Galway's 1.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility.

Cork's culture score of 3.4 sits well above Galway's 2.4, with the biggest gap on history museums.

Galway'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.

Galway's safety score of 4.0 sits well above Cork's 3.6, with the biggest gap on flooding safety.

Cork's career score of 3.2 sits well above Galway's 2.6, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

Cork and Galway score neck-and-neck on social & community (3.8 vs 3.9, 0–5 scale).

On food & dining, Cork scores 2.6 vs Galway's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability.

On family, Cork scores 2.1 vs Galway's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.

Cork and Galway 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 Galway's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Galway breathes ~17% cleaner air (1.3 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here