How Much Do You Need to Earn to Buy a First Home in Every Irish County?
Buying a home in Ireland has become increasingly difficult for first-time buyers and new analysis shows the affordability problem now stretches far beyond Dublin.
A single first-time buyer would need to earn more than €100,000 a year in three Irish counties to qualify for the mortgage required to buy a typical first home according to new research from Chill Insurance.
Dublin remains the most expensive, with an estimated salary requirement of €108,000, followed by Wicklow at €101,250 and Kildare at €100,238.
Perhaps the most striking finding, however, is at the other end of the table.
Even in Longford, the most affordable county in the analysis, a single buyer would need to earn approximately €48,375.
Ireland's national median salary is €44,816, meaning a person earning the typical wage would not have sufficient borrowing capacity to purchase the median first-time buyer home in any county in Ireland under standard mortgage lending rules.
The Salary Needed to Buy a First Home County by County
The Salary Needed to Buy a First Home County by County. Source : Chill Insurance
Here is the estimated gross annual salary a single first-time buyer would need:
Dublin €108,000
Median first-time buyer home: €480,000
Wicklow €101,250
Median first-time buyer home: €450,000
Kildare €100,238
Median first-time buyer home: €445,500
Meath €96,750
Median first-time buyer home: €429,999
Cork €92,092
Median first-time buyer home: €409,299
Louth €87,750
Median first-time buyer home: €390,000
Galway €85,500
Median first-time buyer home: €380,000
Laois €82,350
Median first-time buyer home: €366,002
Limerick €78,750
Median first-time buyer home: €350,000
Kilkenny €78,419
Median first-time buyer home: €348,530
Waterford €77,853
Median first-time buyer home: €346,013
Westmeath €76,500
Median first-time buyer home: €340,000
Clare €74,250
Median first-time buyer home: €330,000
Sligo €73,969
Median first-time buyer home: €328,750
Wexford €73,125
Median first-time buyer home: €325,000
Carlow €71,550
Median first-time buyer home: €318,000
Kerry €67,725
Median first-time buyer home: €301,000
Tipperary €67,065
Median first-time buyer home: €298,065
Offaly €65,700
Median first-time buyer home: €292,000
Monaghan €64,350
Median first-time buyer home: €286,000
Cavan €63,000
Median first-time buyer home: €280,000
Roscommon €63,000
Median first-time buyer home: €280,000
Mayo €57,375
Median first-time buyer home: €255,000
Donegal €57,319
Median first-time buyer home: €254,750
Leitrim €55,125
Median first-time buyer home: €245,000
Longford €48,375
Median first-time buyer home: €215,000
Three Counties Have Now Crossed the €100,000 Mark
The change at the top of the table shows how quickly affordability pressures are spreading.
Last year, Dublin was the only county where the estimated salary requirement exceeded €100,000.
It has now been joined by both Wicklow and Kildare.
The figures show:
• Dublin: €108,000 up from €103,500
• Wicklow: €101,250 up from €99,003
• Kildare: €100,238 up from €95,625
• Meath: €96,750 up from €85,500
Meath recorded the largest increase identified in the analysis, with its required income rising by approximately 13.2%.
Dublin Remains the Toughest Market
Dublin continues to present the biggest affordability challenge for a single buyer.
The median first-time buyer property price stands at approximately €480,000.
A buyer taking out a mortgage covering 90% of that property would therefore need to borrow around €432,000.
Under the Central Bank's standard first-time buyer mortgage limit of four times gross income, that translates into a required salary of approximately €108,000.
The median income in Dublin is just €49,224, leaving a gap of almost €59,000 between the typical salary and the estimated income required.
Cork Buyers Need More Than €92,000
Cork is now one of the five most expensive counties in Ireland based on the salary required by a single first-time buyer.
With the median first-time buyer property priced at approximately €409,299, the estimated salary required is €92,092.
That puts Cork behind only Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath in the national rankings.
Where Is It Most Affordable?
Longford remains the most accessible county based on the amount a buyer needs to earn.
A typical first-time buyer property there costs approximately €215,000, requiring an estimated salary of €48,375.
The next lowest requirements are:
• Leitrim €55,125
• Donegal €57,319
• Mayo €57,375
• Cavan €63,000
• Roscommon €63,000
However, even Longford's €48,375 requirement remains higher than the national median salary of €44,816.
How Are the Figures Calculated?
The figures are based on median first-time buyer property prices and standard Central Bank mortgage lending limits.
First-time buyers can generally borrow up to four times their gross annual income, while mortgages can cover up to 90% of a property's purchase price.
For example, a €400,000 property would normally require at least a €40,000 deposit.
The buyer would then require a €360,000 mortgage.
Dividing that mortgage by the four-times-income limit gives a required salary of approximately €90,000.
The county figures therefore illustrate the income a single buyer would need to qualify for enough borrowing to purchase the median first-time buyer property in that county.
They do not take into account circumstances such as a larger deposit, existing debts, individual lender affordability assessments or buying as a couple.
What About Couples?
The figures can look very different for two people purchasing together because lenders generally assess their combined gross income.
For example, the €108,000 income requirement in Dublin could theoretically be reached by two buyers earning approximately €54,000 each, rather than one person earning €108,000.
Similarly, Cork's €92,092 requirement would represent combined earnings of roughly €46,046 each if split evenly between two buyers.
The calculations still highlight the scale of the challenge facing people attempting to purchase alone.
Can First-Time Buyers Borrow More?
Some buyers can potentially access more than the standard four-times-income mortgage limit.
Lenders are permitted to provide a limited number of mortgage exceptions, while eligible buyers may also have access to State supports including:
• Help to Buy, which can provide a tax refund of up to €30,000 towards an eligible deposit.
• First Home Scheme, where the State can take an equity share in an eligible property.
• Local Authority Home Loan, which can provide mortgages to eligible buyers who may have difficulty obtaining sufficient finance from commercial lenders.
These supports can change the amount of personal income or deposit required in individual cases.
The Bigger Picture
The affordability problem is no longer confined to Dublin.
Five counties Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Cork now require a gross salary of more than €90,000 for a single first-time buyer purchasing the typical property.
At the same time, the estimated income required in even Ireland's cheapest county remains above the country's median salary.
For first-time buyers attempting to purchase alone, that leaves an increasingly large gap between what the average person earns and what the housing market requires them to earn.
The figures are based on CSO first-time buyer property price data for the 12 months to June 2026 and CSO county income data, with Central Bank mortgage limits applied to estimate the borrowing income required.