Dún Laoghaire, Wicklow, South Dublin & Fingal All Unaffordable For Mortgage Seekers

New research by Switcher.ie has revealed the most affordable places for first time buyers in Ireland.

Their First Time Buyer Affordability Index 2025 shows the least and most attainable areas for joint buyers and sole buyers based on how long it would take to save for a deposit in each RPPI region.

• The average time to save for a mortgage deposit in Ireland is 4.7 years.*

• Longford is the most affordable place for first time buyers, taking 1.7 years to save for a deposit - down from 2.6 years last year.

• Dún Laoghaire is the least affordable place and could take up to 21.4 years to raise a downpayment - down from 27.9 years last year.

• Roscommon is most affordable for sole buyers purchasing an apartment. Saving for a deposit takes 1.8 years, although a sole apartment purchaser in Dún Laoghaire may well take 46.1 years.

• Longford, Leitrim, Donegal, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Limerick, Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo are the 10 most affordable counties - taking between 1.7 years and 2.4 years to save for a deposit.

• Dún Laoghaire, Wicklow, South Dublin,  Fingal, Louth, Dublin City, Galway City, Kildare, Meath and Waterford are the 10 least affordable places.

• Due to higher wages and people saving more in 2024 relative to property price rises, our calculations showed that saving for a deposit is getting easier in most areas, although projections will change year on year due to market fluctuations.

• 63% of Ireland's new builds were completed in the 10 most expensive regions during 2024, while the cheapest 10 areas only attracted 11% of new dwellings. This disadvantages first-time buyers who need to use Help to Buy schemes.

Most and least affordable for joint first time buyers - Top 5 most affordable places for joint buyers

Longford was the most affordable place for joint first-time buyers. One of the cheapest places to buy a house, it would take just 1.7 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 one year and nine months, in Donegal around two years, and in Mayo and Roscommon it could take two years and two months.

Our research showed that the most affordable places for first-time buyers were not necessarily the areas with the lowest house prices. Although cheaper property prices help, having a comparably higher income makes your mortgage more affordable, and deposits take less time to save.

Top 5 least affordable places for joint buyers

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 the least affordable location for mortgage seekers, requiring a couple to save for a staggering 21.4 years. Wicklow, South Dublin, Fingal, and Louth follow closely, making them the most challenging regions for joint buyers. Dublin's overall average deposit saving time is 8.3 years.

Buying an apartment as a sole first time buyer

 Top 5 most affordable places

Roscommon, Longford, Leitrim, Limerick, and Sligo proved most affordable for sole buyers, with an apartment in Roscommon averaging €92,500 in 2023.

If buying alone, it would take between 2.5 years and 3.4 years to save for a deposit in one of these areas if earning the average in the county.

Top 5 least affordable places

Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Wicklow, Galway, and Kildare were most out of reach for sole buyers, with an apartment in Dun Laoghaire averaging €523,288

That would take a resident on the average salary for that area up to 88.5 years to save for a deposit.

Help to Buy schemes and Ireland's new builds

Many first-time buyers rely on help-to-buy schemes and grants, which often require them to purchase a newly built home.

Switcher's research revealed a correlation between areas with the highest house prices and the number of new builds in 2024.

The type of housing that qualifies FTBs for many help-to-buy schemes has been built in the most expensive areas, with affluent areas in and around Dublin attracting the lion’s share of new builds in 2024 and places like Longford, Donegal and Leitrim only seeing a fraction.

Commercial Director of Switcher.ie,  Eoin Clarke comments:

''The chance of getting on the Irish property ladder depends heavily on where you live, work, and plan to buy a property. However, now that Ireland has introduced laws to support flexible working and the daily commute takes a backseat, cheaper, rural locations could become increasingly popular for singles and couples buying their first home.

Switcher.ie's First Time Buyer Affordability Index reveals how long it might take to save for a mortgage deposit in each region. It considered earning power, household savings and local property prices for each area to estimate the length of time deposit savings might take. We found that midland counties Longford, Leitrim, and Roscommon were listed among the most affordable, while the western regions of Donegal and Mayo were also in the top 5, possibly due to their distance from Dublin and other commercial hotspots.

Unsurprisingly, areas in and around Dublin were least affordable for sole and joint buyers - with areas like Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Wicklow just a pipe dream for many sole purchasers. Buying with someone else can improve lending limits and reduce the time it takes to save for a deposit; in many circumstances, it's the only way to get on the housing ladder. 

To boost their chances of mortgage approval, first-time buyers should invest time in learning about mortgages and begin saving and preparations early. There's a range of first-time buyer schemes worth exploring too, like the First Home Scheme and Help to Buy Scheme, which can help with mortgage costs or provide tax relief, plus some lesser-known ones like the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme.

It's fair to say that buying your first home can be pretty daunting, but house-hunters can take the stress out of homebuying with a mortgage broker. They'll provide personalised guidance, find a home loan that perfectly matches their needs, and provide mortgage application support every step of the way.''