Cork vs Glasgow
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Glasgow edges it, 64 to 63, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Cork is stronger on nothing outright; Glasgow on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Ireland's second city with a food-market heart
Full Cork profile →Plan a trip to Cork →Friendly, creative and cheaper than Edinburgh
Full Glasgow profile →Plan a trip to Glasgow →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Glasgow leads on getting there & around, 44 to 32, against Cork. Non-stop airport destinations: 46 vs 95.
- Safety. Cork leads on safety, 83 to 76, against Glasgow. Homicides per 100,000: 0.7 vs 0.93.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, internet, visa ease, healthcare, quality of life, cost of living, climate.
Pick Cork if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Glasgow if you want
- to spend about $24 less a month
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 22 | 22 ✓ |
| Safety | 83 ✓ | 76 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 88 ✓ |
| Internet | 77 ✓ | 74 |
| Visa ease | 75 | 77 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 32 | 44 ✓ |
| Climate | 0 | 0 |
| Air quality | 97 | 99 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 97 |
Cost
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,924 | $2,900 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $2,253 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.7 ✓ | 0.93 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 78.7 ✓ | 70.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 88 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 82.4 yrs ✓ | 80.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 53.5 Mbps | 54.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 25.8 Mbps ✓ | 12.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | unlimited | home country |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 46 | 95 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cork | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 0 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.4 µg/m³ | 5.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cork or Glasgow?
- Glasgow is cheaper: about $2,900 per month versus $2,924 for one person.
- Is Cork or Glasgow safer?
- Cork scores higher on safety (83 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cork or Glasgow?
- Glasgow: a measured median of 54.2 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); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.