Ireland has a housing problem that nobody pretends will be fixed quickly. The latest figures put the average rent in Dublin at around €1,829 a month, and a survey out this month found that roughly a third of residents have seriously thought about moving somewhere cheaper. If you live there, none of that will come as a surprise.
It is worth being clear about what is actually going on, because the headlines make it sound worse than the day-to-day sometimes is – and better than it is on a viewing day.
What the numbers say
Dublin city centre is the expensive end. A one-bedroom flat there runs about €2,000 to €2,600 a month now. Move outside the centre and it falls to roughly €1,700 to €2,300. Cork sits around €1,550 to €1,950, Galway about €1,400 to €1,750.
The sharpest rises are outside the capital. Galway two-bedroom rents are up more than 11% year on year, Cork about 7.5%. The country needs roughly 52,000 new homes a year to keep up with demand. Last year it built about 34,500. You can do the maths.
What it means when you are looking
Viewings are crowded. Twenty-plus applicants for one flat is normal, and the landlord picks whoever they like. Advice from people who have been through it: have your references and your PPS number ready before you start looking, reply to viewings the same day they go up, and do not expect to negotiate on price.
For plenty of expats the first year is a short-term let or a room while you work out where you actually want to live. That is normal. Treat it as a stage, not a failure.
The mood is shifting
A third of people thinking about leaving is a big number, and it is not only newcomers. Most Irish adults between 20 and 34 still live with their parents. When the locals are weighing up a move to Spain or Portugal, you know it is not just you.
Does that make Ireland a bad place to live? No. Pay in tech, pharma and finance is good, the schools are solid, and it is easy to settle in if you come from the EU. It just means housing should be the first line in your budget, not the thing you sort out after you land.
Small comforts matter
Renting in a new country is stressful. One of the things people miss most is the telly they grew up with – the evening news, the breakfast show, the match on a Saturday. Getting that working is one less thing to fight with while you chase a lease.
Related reading
- Portugal just tightened its immigration rules: what expats should know
- Where expats are happiest in 2026 – and where they are not
- Panama tops the expat rankings again – here is the catch
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