New research from Switcher.ie has revealed what places in Ireland are the most affordable for first time buyers, together and alone, and the list may surprise you
Close-up of the keys to a new apartment(Image: Getty Images)
The latest research by Switcher.ie has revealed the most affordable places for first time buyers in Ireland.
Buying a home is becoming increasingly difficult for people due to sky high costs but the areas that are most affordable may surprise you.
Longford was the most affordable place for joint first-time buyers for the third year running. One of the cheapest places to buy a house, it would take just 2.3 years to save the minimum 10% deposit.
Leitrim, Donegal, Mayo, and Roscommon joined Longford in the top five most affordable counties for home buyers. To save a deposit in the shortest time, buyers should look to one of these counties or others at the top of our Affordability Index.
Couples earning the average salary in Leitrim could save for a mortgage deposit in two years and four months, in Donegal, Roscommon or Mayo it could take two years and five months.
Unsurprisingly, areas in and around Dublin were the most out of reach for first time buyers, with Dún Laoghaire the least affordable place for both joint and sole buyers.
Dún Laoghaire ranks as most out of reach for mortgage seekers, requiring a couple to save for a staggering 21 years and 3 months. South Dublin, Galway City, Louth and Wicklow follow at around 10 years, making them the most challenging regions for joint buyers.
Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, Donegal and Cavan proved most affordable for sole buyers. If buying alone, it would take at least 3 and a half years to save for a deposit in one of these counties, based on the typical local salary. A sole buyer can expect to part with at least four times their salary to own a property.
Dún Laoghaire, Wicklow, Dublin and Galway were most out of reach for sole buyers, with a sole transaction in Dun Laoghaire averaging €548,000 – meaning it could take a resident on the average salary for that area up to 66.5 years to save for a deposit.
Switcher.ie’s research also revealed that the average time it takes for a couple to save for a mortgage deposit in Ireland is 7 years 2 months, up from 4 years 7 months last year.
As well as this, 65% of Ireland’s new builds were completed in the 10 most expensive regions during 2025, while the cheapest 10 areas only attracted 11% of new dwellings. This disadvantages first-time buyers who need to use Help to Buy schemes.
Want to see more of the stories you love from RSVP ? To add RSVP as a preferred source of news on Google, simply click here