How Much A First-Time-Buyer Needs To Earn In Every County To Afford A Home

Buying your first home in Ireland is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for those on median incomes.

New research from Chill shows that a first-time buyer, someone purchasing their first property and typically a smaller or lower-priced home suited to entry-level buyers, earning the national median salary of €43,221 would be unable to afford such a home in any county under current mortgage rules.

To close the gap, buyers often have to save a much larger deposit, buy with another person or settle for a property far below the average price in their area.

For this analysis, we used CSO data on median prices for first-time buyer homes and compared them with median incomes in each county, applying Central Bank mortgage limits to calculate the income shortfall.

Dublin: The Steepest Climb

The shortfall is most severe in Dublin. The median price for a first-time-buyer home now stands at €460,000. Under Central Bank rules, which cap borrowing at 90% of a property’s value and four times a buyer’s gross income, a single applicant would need to earn at least €103,500 to qualify.

That’s more than double Dublin’s median income of €47,873, making it the only county where a six-figure salary is required to buy a typical first-time-buyer home.

How Much A First-Time-Buyer Needs To Earn In Every County To Afford A Home

County	Median Price FTB Home (€)	Income Required (€)
Carlow	288,750	64,969
Cavan	266,000	59,850
Clare	305,000	68,625
Cork	368,166	82,837
Donegal	219,000	49,275
Dublin	460,000	103,500
Galway	349,013	78,528
Kerry	276,000	62,100
Kildare	425,000	95,625
Kilkenny	335,000	75,375
Laois	329,999	74,250
Leitrim	240,000	54,000
Limerick	340,000	76,500
Longford	220,000	49,500
Louth	373,075	83,942
Mayo	251,000	56,475
Meath	380,000	85,500
Monaghan	247,500	55,688
Offaly	293,500	66,038
Roscommon	225,000	50,625
Sligo	286,078	64,368
Tipperary	255,000	57,375
Waterford	335,000	75,375
Westmeath	323,521	72,792
Wexford	300,000	67,500
Wicklow	440,013	99,003

A Clear Regional Divide

Affordability splits sharply along regional lines. Leinster and Munster dominate the top end, with Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare all requiring salaries above €90,000.

Meanwhile, Connacht and Ulster account for most of the more affordable areas. In counties such as Roscommon, Donegal and Longford, a salary below €51,000 could still be enough to get on the ladder.

5 Least Affordable Counties For First Time-Buyers

1. Dublin

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €460,000
Median Dublin income: €47,873
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €103,500
Income shortfall: €55,627

2. Wicklow

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €440,013
Median Wicklow income: €44,750
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €99,003
Income shortfall: €54,253

3. Kildare

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €425,000
Median Kildare income: €46,819
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €95,625
Income shortfall: €48,806

4. Louth

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €373,075
Median Louth income: €40,038
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value):€83,942
Income shortfall: €43,904

5. Meath

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €380,000
Median Meath income: €44,902
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €85,500
Income shortfall: €40,598

5 Most Affordable Counties For First Time-Buyers

1. Roscommon

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €225,000
Median Roscommon income: €40,034
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €50,625
Income shortfall: €10,591

2. Longford

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €220,000
Median Longford income: €37,611
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €49,500
Income shortfall: €11,889

3. Donegal

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €219,000
Median Donegal income: €35,010
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €49,275
Income shortfall: €14,265

4. Leitrim

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €240,000
Median Leitrim income: €39,000
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €54,000
Income shortfall: €15,000

5. Mayo

Median price for first-time-buyer home in June 2025: €251,000
Median Mayo income: €38,625
Income required for Mortgage (90% Loan-to-value): €56,475
Income shortfall: €17,850

How First-Time-Buyers Can Borrow More

While most first-time-buyers are capped at borrowing four times their income, some may qualify for exemptions. Lenders are allowed to issue a limited share of mortgages - typically around 20% - above this threshold, granting loans of up to 4.7 or 5 times salary in certain cases. These are assessed individually, usually when a specific property is identified, and are based on factors such as income potential, job stability or strong financial health.

There are also state-backed options. The Local Authority Home Loan allows eligible buyers to borrow up to 4.7 times their income directly from their local council, subject to strict criteria. Meanwhile, the First Home Scheme offers an equity partnership with the State, covering up to 30% of the property’s value to help reduce the amount a buyer needs to borrow from a bank.

Our Final Thought

Even in Ireland’s most “affordable” counties, the gap between income and house prices is a major hurdle. For many, getting the keys to a first home will mean combining incomes, securing exemptions, or availing of State support schemes.

---

Sources & Methodology

Median home prices for first-time-buyer homes are from the CSO’s Residential Property Price Index for the 12 months to June 2025, while median incomes are from the CSO’s Distribution of Earnings by Gender and County 2023. The salary needed to buy a median-priced first-time-buyer home was calculated using Central Bank rules for first-time buyers (90% loan-to-value and a maximum loan of four times gross income) and compared with county-level median incomes to show the affordability gap.