#1Carrigtwohill
5,568 peopleScore 68.9·#5 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: jobs & income A+, safety A·lowest: walkability C
Carrigtwohill, #1 on this list · Photo: Robert Ashby (CC BY-SA 2.0)Cork · 2026
Best places to live in County Cork
22 towns on the list grade A− or better. The scores on the list span 68.9 at the top to 25.6 at the bottom. Top place among the 54 towns ranked in County Cork goes to Carrigtwohill, which stands #5 of 320 across the country. In second place stands Blarney, graded A+.
The overall score, sorted within the county; the letter compares each town with every town in Ireland of 2,500+, and its national rank sits beside it. How grades work
#1A+
#2Blarney
2,779 peopleScore 65.9·#13 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: safety A+, jobs & income A·lowest: hazard risk C−
#3Douglas
22,029 peopleScore 64.9·#16 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: jobs & income A+, safety A+·lowest: walkability C−
All 54 towns, ranked
By overall score against Irish towns; ranks are within the county, and each national rank links to the national list.
54 towns
#TownScoreGrade · national rankWhat drives it
1Carrigtwohill5,568 people68.9top 1.3%A+#5 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, safety A·lowest: walkability C
2Blarney2,779 people65.9top 3.8%A+#13 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A+, jobs & income A·lowest: hazard risk C−
3Douglas22,029 people64.9top 4.7%A+#16 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, safety A+·lowest: walkability C−
4Carrigaline18,239 people64.6top 5.0%A+#17 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, safety A·lowest: walkability D
5Frankfield and Grange7,687 people64.2top 6.1%A#20 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, safety A·lowest: walkability C−
6Macroom4,096 people63.9top 7.4%A#24 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A, cost of living B+·lowest: walkability C+
7Ballincollig21,940 people63.8top 7.8%A#26 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, safety A·lowest: hazard risk D
8Riverstown3,664 people62.6top 10.3%A#34 of 320 nationallyStrongest: health A, jobs & income A·lowest: hazard risk D−
9Skibbereen2,903 people62.5top 10.7%A#35 of 320 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk A+, cost of living A−·lowest: health C
10Kinsale5,991 people62.4top 11.0%A#36 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A+, jobs & income A·lowest: hazard risk D−
11Tower3,300 people62.3top 11.6%A#38 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A+, jobs & income A−·lowest: walkability D−
12Crosshaven3,263 people62.0top 12.2%A#40 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A+, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability D
13Bandon8,196 people61.1top 14.7%A#48 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, cost of living B+·lowest: hazard risk D
14Passage West-Monkstown6,051 people61.0top 15.0%A#49 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A+, health B+·lowest: hazard risk D
15Clonakilty5,112 people60.6top 17.2%A−#56 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A−, safety A−·lowest: hazard risk C−
16Glanmire4,454 people60.6top 17.6%A−#57 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, safety A·lowest: hazard risk D−
17Mitchelstown3,744 people60.2top 18.8%A−#61 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, health B+·lowest: hazard risk C
18Bantry2,929 people59.9top 20.1%A−#65 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability B+·lowest: health C
19Inishkenny5,552 people59.8top 20.5%A−#66 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, health A−·lowest: cost of living C−
20Glounthaune5,000 people59.6top 21.6%A−#70 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, health A·lowest: hazard risk D−
21Kanturk2,803 people59.3top 22.3%A−#72 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, hazard risk A·lowest: walkability C−
22Midleton13,906 people58.5top 24.1%A−#78 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A−, health B+·lowest: walkability C−
23Ballinlough5,435 people57.1top 28.8%B+#93 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, health A+·lowest: cost of living D
24Lehenagh4,154 people56.5top 29.8%B+#96 of 320 nationallyStrongest: health A, jobs & income A·lowest: walkability D
25Bishopstown14,529 people55.8top 30.7%B+#99 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, walkability A−·lowest: cost of living D
26Cobh14,148 people53.5top 36.1%B#116 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk D
27Fermoy6,720 people51.3top 41.4%B#133 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A−, health B·lowest: hazard risk C
28Tivoli4,449 people51.0top 43.3%B#139 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B+, health B·lowest: hazard risk D−
29Tramore4,803 people48.8top 48.3%B−#155 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, walkability A−·lowest: cost of living C−
30Ballyvolane8,707 people47.9bottom 49.2%B−#163 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, health A−·lowest: hazard risk D−
31Knockrea5,228 people46.7bottom 47.0%B−#170 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A+, walkability A·lowest: safety D−
32Charleville3,970 people46.4bottom 45.8%B−#174 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A+, hazard risk A·lowest: health C−
33Mallow13,456 people45.3bottom 42.3%C+#185 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A−, health B·lowest: hazard risk D
34St Luke's4,278 people45.0bottom 41.1%C+#189 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, health B−·lowest: safety D
35Togher3,007 people45.0bottom 40.8%C+#190 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, safety B+·lowest: health D−
36Glasheen5,981 people45.0bottom 40.4%C+#191 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, hazard risk B·lowest: cost of living C−
37Mahon13,892 people42.7bottom 34.2%C#211 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B+, walkability B·lowest: cost of living C−
38Sunday's Well2,807 people41.8bottom 31.3%C#220 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, health B·lowest: safety C−
39Montenotte4,113 people41.7bottom 30.7%C#222 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, jobs & income B+·lowest: cost of living D
40Blackpool3,124 people41.2bottom 29.8%C#225 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, cost of living A·lowest: safety D
41Youghal8,564 people39.9bottom 27.9%C#231 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, health C·lowest: hazard risk D−
42Hollyhill and Ballincolly8,606 people39.8bottom 27.6%C#232 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B+, health B·lowest: walkability D
43Turner's Cross7,208 people39.1bottom 26.6%C#235 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, jobs & income B+·lowest: safety D
44Shanakiel3,804 people36.1bottom 19.7%C−#257 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk D
45Shandon3,539 people35.8bottom 18.5%C−#261 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, jobs & income B−·lowest: safety D
46Gurranebraher4,502 people32.2bottom 11.6%D#283 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, hazard risk B·lowest: jobs & income D
47Gillabbey5,857 people32.1bottom 10.7%D#286 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, jobs & income C+·lowest: safety C−
48Mayfield2,846 people31.9bottom 10.3%D#287 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, cost of living B−·lowest: health D−
49South Gate7,185 people31.0bottom 9.1%D#291 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, hazard risk B·lowest: safety D−
50Knocknaheeny5,592 people30.0bottom 8.5%D#293 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, hazard risk B·lowest: health D−
51Farranree3,824 people29.0bottom 7.5%D#296 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, hazard risk B·lowest: health D−
52The Glen6,119 people27.6bottom 5.0%D#304 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, hazard risk B·lowest: safety D
53Cork City Centre3,701 people27.1bottom 4.1%D−#307 of 320 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, jobs & income B−·lowest: safety D−
54Fair Hill4,910 people25.6bottom 3.4%D−#309 of 320 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk B, walkability B−·lowest: health D−
Quick answers
Questions people ask
How are these towns ranked?
By the overall grade, which blends six graded subjects (safety, cost of living, health, jobs & income, walkability and hazard risk) from public data, each comparing a town with every town in Ireland of 1,000 or more. The rank is among the towns of 2,500 or more in County Cork, where five or more have an overall grade.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers places of 2,500 or more with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their grades on their own pages; every town is listed on the County Cork page.
County by county
Best places to live, county by county
Photos: Carrigtwohill, Robert Ashby (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Blarney, Joseph Mischyshyn (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Douglas, Hywel Williams (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Irish towns against each other only, run #71 of 9 November 2026. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).