The €250K Property Map: Where Can You Still Buy for Under €250K in Ireland?
€250,000 used to be a reasonable budget for a house in Ireland. Not a mansion — but a solid three-bed in a decent town. That's changing fast. We pulled every full-market-price sale from the Property Price Register and tracked how many Eircode areas still have a median sale price under €250K.
In 2021, 80 out of 133 Eircode areas were below the line. By 2025, that number has dropped to just 32 out of 137. The affordable map of Ireland is shrinking — and it's shrinking quickly.
The Shrinking Affordable Map
Every year, more Eircode areas cross the €250K threshold. We lost 48 affordable areas in just four years — a 60% reduction. At this rate, sub-€250K options could be gone entirely within a few years.
Based on full-market-price residential sales. Only areas with 10+ sales per year included.
The County Picture in 2025
Only 7 out of 26 counties still have a county-wide median under €250K. The cheapest? Longford at €185,000. The most expensive? Dublin at €475,000 — more than 2.5x the cheapest county. Sligo sits tantalisingly close at €251,500, having just tipped over the line.
Green = median under €250K. Based on 2025 full-market-price sales.
The 32 Eircode Areas Still Under €250K
Here's the full list. These 32 areas span 19 counties and range from €165,000 (Roscommon Town) to €245,000 (Carlow Town and Mountmellick). Many are in the northwest, midlands, and smaller regional towns — but there are a few surprises, like Dundalk (€225,000) and Dunboyne (€232,500).
| Eircode | Area | County | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F45 | Roscommon Town | Roscommon | €165,000 | 187 |
| F93 | Buncrana / Inishowen | Donegal | €172,500 | 355 |
| F26 | Westport | Mayo | €180,000 | 371 |
| F35 | Belmullet / Erris | Mayo | €180,000 | 65 |
| F92 | Donegal Town / South | Donegal | €181,000 | 399 |
| F56 | Tubbercurry | Sligo | €182,500 | 80 |
| H23 | Castleblayney | Monaghan | €182,500 | 32 |
| H53 | Tuam / Headford | Galway | €185,000 | 208 |
| E34 | Roscrea | Tipperary | €190,000 | 123 |
| F52 | Castlerea | Roscommon | €192,500 | 99 |
| H16 | Ballyconnell | Cavan | €192,500 | 24 |
| N39 | Longford Town | Longford | €195,000 | 392 |
| H14 | Cavan Town | Cavan | €195,000 | 95 |
| F94 | Letterkenny | Donegal | €195,000 | 294 |
| N41 | Carrick-on-Shannon | Leitrim | €196,000 | 273 |
| E53 | Nenagh | Tipperary | €205,000 | 91 |
| F12 | Castlebar | Mayo | €205,000 | 232 |
| E25 | Clonmel | Tipperary | €214,500 | 90 |
| F31 | Knock / Charlestown | Mayo | €215,000 | 55 |
| V15 | Newcastlewest / Abbeyfeale | Limerick | €221,000 | 142 |
| Y34 | Dundalk | Louth | €225,000 | 194 |
| V42 | Killaloe / Newport | Clare | €227,500 | 94 |
| H18 | Virginia / Bailieborough | Cavan | €227,500 | 140 |
| P56 | Mallow | Cork | €230,000 | 77 |
| X42 | Dungarvan | Waterford | €230,000 | 35 |
| A75 | Dunboyne / Clonee | Meath | €232,500 | 82 |
| H12 | Ballybofey / Stranorlar | Donegal | €237,500 | 259 |
| F91 | Sligo Town | Sligo | €240,000 | 526 |
| E32 | Cashel / Tipperary Town | Tipperary | €240,000 | 99 |
| V14 | Listowel | Kerry | €241,000 | 77 |
| E41 | Carlow Town | Carlow | €245,000 | 213 |
| R42 | Mountmellick / Mountrath | Laois | €245,000 | 143 |
Sorted by median price. Based on 2025 full-market-price sales, minimum 10 sales per area.
Affordable Areas by County
Some counties still have pockets of affordability even if the overall county median is above €250K. Tipperary has 4 affordable areas out of 5 total, while Cork — despite a county median of €350,000 — still has Mallow sneaking in under the line.
| County | Affordable | Total Areas | % Affordable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donegal | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Mayo | 4 | 6 | 67% |
| Tipperary | 4 | 5 | 80% |
| Cavan | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Roscommon | 2 | 3 | 67% |
| Sligo | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Carlow | 1 | 2 | 50% |
| Clare | 1 | 4 | 25% |
| Cork | 1 | 20 | 5% |
| Galway | 1 | 6 | 17% |
| Kerry | 1 | 5 | 20% |
| Laois | 1 | 3 | 33% |
| Leitrim | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Limerick | 1 | 4 | 25% |
| Longford | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Louth | 1 | 3 | 33% |
| Meath | 1 | 3 | 33% |
| Monaghan | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Waterford | 1 | 3 | 33% |
Counties with at least one area under €250K median in 2025.
What Does This Mean for Buyers?
The €250K budget that once opened doors across most of Ireland now limits you to roughly a quarter of the country's Eircode areas. Here's what stands out:
- The northwest holds firm — Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, and Leitrim still offer multiple affordable areas. Remote work has helped some of these towns grow without pushing prices past the threshold.
- The midlands are next at risk — areas like Carlow Town (€245,000) and Mountmellick (€245,000) are right at the edge. One strong year could push them over.
- Dublin and its commuter belt are long gone — the cheapest Dublin Eircode (D10, Ballyfermot) is well above €250K. Only Dunboyne/Clonee in Meath hangs on, and barely.
- 7 counties still have county-wide medians under €250K — but that number was higher just a few years ago. If you're buying on a budget, acting sooner rather than later gives you more options.
None of this means you can't find a bargain in an expensive area — individual sales vary widely. But if you're looking for an area where sub-€250K is the norm rather than the exception, the map above is your starting point.
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