Overview

Expatriate Areas

Popular areas for the expatriate community are Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Housing

The availability of houses in Dublin is tight; in the rest of the country and particularly in the expatriate areas it varies. The city centre of Dublin is defined widely indeed, and includes just about everyplace you can reach within 30-40 minutes drive during rush hour. The Southside, particularly Dublin 4, is somewhat more expensive than the North side, but not by much. If you're close to the commercial heart of the city, you're likely to have to pay for a parking space as well as the apartment itself. It is safe to assume to add at least another Euro 65-Euro 125 a month to your bill.

Cost of Housing

Varies from area to area and the size of the apartment or house. You'll pay anything from Euro 880-Euro 1900 and up for an apartment, and for a house you would be looking at anything from Euro 1525-Euro 3200 and up in the Dublin area. The local currency is the Euro.

Rental Market

Rented accommodation is the answer for people who don’t want the trouble, expense and restrictions involved in buying a house, or who are staying in Ireland only for two or three years (when buying isn’t usually practical).

Unlike most European countries, there isn’t a strong rental market in Ireland, where families have traditionally preferred to buy rather than rent. There’s a chronic shortage of rental properties in some areas, particularly in Dublin, and rental properties with three or more bedrooms located in good areas are in short supply.