Belfast vs Cork
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Cork edges it, 64 to 64, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Belfast is stronger on nothing outright; Cork on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 21 ✓ | 20 |
| Safety | 75 | 85 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 86 ✓ | 84 |
| Internet | 76 ✓ | 73 |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 35 ✓ | 32 |
| Climate | 0 | 0 |
| Air quality | 95 | 97 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 97 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,900 ✓ | $2,975 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $2,293 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.3 | 0.8 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.3 | 78 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 ✓ | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 80.1 yrs | 81.6 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 68.6 Mbps ✓ | 53.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 20.1 Mbps | 25.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | visa or e-visa required | 90 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 180 days | unlimited ✓ |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | unlimited | unlimited |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 70 ✓ | 46 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Belfast | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 0 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.4 µg/m³ | 6.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Belfast or Cork?
- Belfast is cheaper: about $2,900 per month versus $2,975 for one person.
- Is Belfast or Cork safer?
- Cork scores higher on safety (85 vs 75), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Belfast or Cork?
- Belfast: a measured median of 68.6 Mbps versus 53.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.