Irish House Prices in 2026: Dublin vs the Affordable Counties

The headline numbers from the CSO

The CSO's Residential Property Price Index for May 2026 (published 15 July 2026) puts annual price growth at 6.2% nationally. Dublin grew more slowly at 4.7%, while prices outside Dublin rose 7.3%, with houses up 7.1% and apartments up 9.7% outside the capital.

Regionally, the Midlands recorded the strongest house price growth at 13.2% year on year, while the South-West was slowest at 4.2%. In May alone, 3,861 dwelling purchases were filed with Revenue, worth €1.71 billion.

• National annual growth: +6.2% (year to May 2026)
• Dublin: +4.7% - Outside Dublin: +7.3%
• Fastest region: Midlands houses +13.2%; slowest: South-West +4.2%
• National median price: €395,000

Most and least expensive: a €490,000 county gap

The CSO's local figures show just how uneven Irish prices are. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in south Dublin had the highest median price of any local authority at €689,325, while County Longford in the midlands had the lowest at €198,000 - roughly €490,000 less, and about half the national median.

At postcode level the spread is wider still: the A94 Eircode (Blackrock, south Dublin) recorded a median of €850,000, against €155,000 in F45 (Castlerea, Co Roscommon).

• Highest median (local authority): Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, €689,325
• Lowest median (county): Longford, €198,000
• Priciest Eircode: A94 Blackrock, €850,000
• Cheapest Eircode: F45 Castlerea, €155,000

Supply: a record year, still short of target

Supply is the backdrop to all of this. CSO figures reported by RTÉ show 36,284 new homes were completed in 2025, up 20.4% on 2024 and the highest annual total since the series began in 2011, with apartment completions up 38.7%. Over half of all new homes were delivered in Dublin and its surrounding counties - Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.

Even so, 2025 came in below the government's 41,000-home target for the year, and well short of the 50,000-plus annual completions many analysts argue Ireland needs. That shortfall is a key reason prices are still rising, particularly outside Dublin where supply is thinner.

• 36,284 completions in 2025, +20.4% on 2024 - a series record
• Apartment completions up 38.7% year on year
• Government target for 2025 was 41,000 homes; long-term aim is 300,000 by 2030
• More than half of new homes were in Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow

What it means if you are buying in 2026

The affordable counties are no longer standing still: percentage growth is now strongest in exactly the places - the Midlands and the west - that offer the lowest entry prices, so waiting has a cost there too. Counties such as Longford and Roscommon still offer homes at a fraction of Dublin prices, and remote or hybrid workers have been a visible part of that demand.

Dublin's slower 4.7% growth partly reflects its higher starting point and the concentration of new apartment supply in the capital. If your budget is around the €395,000 national median, you are choosing between an apartment or modest house in the capital's commuter belt and a substantially larger home in most other counties. Habio's Ireland listings and area guides let you compare what the same budget buys county by county.

Prices and supply figures are updated monthly and quarterly by the CSO, so check cso.ie for the latest releases before making decisions on timing.