Chapter 10 of 10 · After you buy · 1 of 6
House prices in Ireland in 2026, county by county
Checked 21 Oct 2026the Central Bank's mortgage measures, Revenue's rules and the scheme operators' published terms.
Median house prices for every county from the CSO, annual change, price per square metre where available, and what the figures mean.
Written in plain English for the person buying, selling or switching. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
House prices in Ireland are measured by the Central Statistics Office from every sale filed with Revenue. This guide gives the latest figures, explains what a median is, shows what the national figure means for a buyer, and points you to the county pages. It does not forecast anything.
The figures
The Central Statistics Office (the CSO) published its Residential Property Price Index for June 2026 on 19 August 2026. These are the figures in it.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Median price, twelve months to June 2026 | €396,000 |
| Change in prices over the year to June 2026 | Up 5.6% |
| Highest median, by local authority | Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, €682,334 |
| Lowest median, by county | Longford, €198,000 |
The median is the middle sale. Line up every home sold in the year by price, and the one in the middle is the median. Half of homes sold for less and half for more. It is a better guide than an average, because a few very expensive sales pull an average up. See the glossary for other terms.
The 5.6% is the change in the CSO's index, which adjusts for the mix of homes sold. It is not the change in the median.
Where the figures come from
Every home sale in Ireland is filed with Revenue for stamp duty. The CSO takes those returns, which are the same data as the Property Price Register, and builds the index from them. That is why the figures are prices paid, not asking prices.
It is also why the figures run behind. A return is filed within 44 days of a sale, and the CSO publishes about two months after the month it covers. The June 2026 figures came out on 19 August 2026.
What the median means for a buyer
Take the national median of €396,000 and run it through the Central Bank's rules for a first-time buyer.
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| Price | €396,000 |
| Deposit at 10% | €39,600 |
| Mortgage at 90% | €356,400 |
| Income needed at 4 times | €89,100 |
| Stamp duty at 1% | €3,960 |
So a single buyer, or a couple together, needs a gross income of about €89,100 to borrow the median home's mortgage at 4 times income. The lender's own tests sit on top of that. Our mortgage calculator runs this for any price, with Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme folded in. Our guide on the Central Bank rules explains the limits.
For a second or subsequent buyer the multiple is 3.5 times, so the same mortgage needs about €101,800.
County by county
Prices differ a great deal across the country. The CSO publishes a median for each county and for each Dublin local authority. The two ends of the range in the twelve months to June 2026 were Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at €682,334 and Longford at €198,000. The county pages on counties show the median for each county where it has been entered, beside the First Home Scheme ceiling and the Local Authority Home Loan ceiling for that county.
Where a county's median is not yet entered, the page says so rather than guessing. The CSO's release has the full table.
Why a county figure can mislead
A county median mixes towns and countryside, new and old, apartments and houses. Within Dublin, the four local authorities have very different medians. Within a county, one town can sit well above the county figure. For a particular home, matching sales on the Property Price Register are a better guide than any median.
Price per square metre
The CSO's monthly release does not publish a price per square metre, and the Property Price Register does not record floor area. Any figure you see per square metre comes from a property site's own listings or from a survey, not from the official sales data. Treat it as a rough guide, and only for homes of a similar type.
The market around the prices
The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (the BPFI) reported 5,083 mortgage approvals worth €1.68 billion in August 2026, of which 3,024 worth €1.01 billion were for first-time buyers. Approvals were up 12.1% in number on the year, and July 2026 was a record month with 6,253. Those figures describe demand. They do not say where prices go next.
The schemes for first-time buyers have price limits that sit against the medians. The First Home Scheme ceiling runs from €375,000 to €500,000 depending on the local authority, which is at or above the median in most counties. Help to Buy applies to new homes up to €500,000. Our guide on the First Home Scheme ceilings lists every county.
Reading a change in prices
When the news says prices rose 5.6%, three things are worth remembering.
- It is a national figure. Some counties rose more, some less, and a few can fall while the national figure rises.
- It is a year-on-year figure. It compares June 2026 with June 2025, not with last month.
- It is history. It tells you what happened to the homes sold up to June. It tells you nothing about the home you are bidding on this month.
For that home, the useful figures are matching sales on the register in the last twelve months, adjusted for the change since. Our guide on how much your house is worth covers the method from the seller's side.
What a price means for the other costs
The price sets the deposit, the mortgage and the stamp duty, but also the costs around them. Stamp duty is 1% up to €1 million. The solicitor, the survey, the valuation and the move add a few thousand. Local Property Tax after you buy depends on the band the home sits in, which our LPT bands guide lists. The cost of buying calculator puts every cost on one statement.
Where this leaves you
Put the median for your county, or the price of the home you are looking at, into the mortgage calculator. It shows the income, the deposit and the stamp duty the price needs, and whether a scheme closes the gap. Then open counties for your county's ceilings. The first-time buyer journey sets out the steps from there, and get quotes finds the professionals when you have a home in sight.
Questions people ask
What is the average house price in Ireland in 2026?
The CSO's median price for a home sold in the twelve months to June 2026 was €396,000. The median is the middle sale: half sold for more and half for less. Prices rose 5.6% over the year.
Where are house prices highest and lowest in Ireland?
In the twelve months to June 2026 the highest median was in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at €682,334 and the lowest in Longford at €198,000, according to the CSO.
Will house prices in Ireland fall in 2026?
Nobody knows, and this site does not guess. The CSO publishes what happened each month, about two months after the event. The last figure showed a rise of 5.6% in the year to June 2026.
What income do you need to buy an average house in Ireland?
At the €396,000 median, a first-time buyer with a 10% deposit of €39,600 needs a mortgage of €356,400. At 4 times income, that needs a gross income of about €89,100, before the lender's own tests.
What is the price per square metre in Ireland?
The CSO's monthly release does not publish a price per square metre, and the Property Price Register does not record floor area. Where a figure is quoted, it comes from a property site's own listings, not from the official data.