Property Ladder Out of Reach: What First-Time Buyers Need to Earn in Louth and Across Ireland
Three Irish counties now require a staggering six-figure salary just to purchase a typical first-time buyer home, according to new data from Chill. While Dublin remains the least affordable county in the country with single buyers needing to earn €108,000, it has now been joined above the €100,000 mark by neighboring Wicklow (€101,250) and Kildare (€100,238). Just a year ago, Dublin stood alone above that threshold.
Here in County Louth, prospective homeowners face a demanding hurdle as well, with required earnings pegged at €87,000 for a single applicant.
📊 National Affordability Snapshot
The wider national picture highlights a severe disconnect between local wages and property prices:
- National Median Salary: Sits at €44,816.
- The Reality: A worker earning the national median wage does not earn enough to borrow what they need for a typical first home in any county in Ireland.
- Most Affordable County: Longford is the most accessible in the study, yet a single buyer still requires an income of €48,375—comfortably above the national median.
How the Figures Are Calculated
To compile the study, researchers compared Central Statistics Office (CSO) data on median first-time buyer prices in every county against local median incomes. Central Bank mortgage lending limits were then applied to calculate the exact income a single buyer would need to borrow sufficient funds.
To bridge the widening gap between earnings and property values, many prospective buyers across Louth and beyond are forced to save larger deposits, pool their incomes by buying with another person, or lean heavily on State-backed housing supports.
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