# Best Dublin suburbs for commuters | Where to live | Moving to Ireland > Dublin's rents fall quickly as you move away from the centre, but only some of the cheaper suburbs have a fast, reliable way in. The trick is to pick a… Source: https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/best-dublin-suburbs-for-commuters/ Where to live · Step 3 of 6 # Best Dublin suburbs for commuters 4 min read · Updated 13 September 2026 Dublin's rents fall quickly as you move away from the centre, but only some of the cheaper suburbs have a fast, reliable way in. The trick is to pick a place on the DART, the Luas or one of the commuter rail lines, and then check the door-to-door time rather than the distance. This guide lists the suburbs and towns that commuters rate most highly, with typical journey times, the Leap Card fare zone and what rent you should expect. Rents are from the Daft.ie Rental Report for Q2 2026 (published August 2026); journey times are typical scheduled times and vary by service. ## How Dublin's commuter network fits together There are four systems and they meet in the city centre. The **DART** runs along the coast from Malahide and Howth in the north to Bray and Greystones in the south, every 10 minutes on weekdays. The **Luas Green Line** runs from Brides Glen through Sandyford, Dundrum and Ranelagh to St Stephen's Green and on to Broombridge; the **Luas Red Line** links Tallaght and Saggart with Heuston, Abbey Street, Connolly and the Point. Trams run every 3 to 4 minutes at peak. **Commuter rail** serves Maynooth, Kildare, Drogheda and the towns between, and the DART+ programme is extending electrified services to Maynooth and towards Drogheda over the coming years. Buses fill the gaps, but a bus into the city at 8am is the slowest option. Fares depend on zone. Inside Zone 1 (Dublin city and the DART area) the TFI 90-minute Leap fare is **€2** with a daily cap of €6 and a weekly cap of €24. Leap rail singles to the city are **€3.90 from Zone 2** (for example Skerries, Greystones, Naas), **€6 from Zone 3** (Drogheda, Newbridge, Wicklow town) and **€7.50 from Zone 4** (Kildare town, Navan). These are 2026 fares; the NTA has confirmed increases averaging 15% for adults from January 2027. ## Commuter suburbs compared
Suburb or townModeTypical time to city centreLeap zoneDaft.ie region, Q2 2026 avg. 3-bed house
MalahideDART to Connollyabout 25 min1North County €2,803
Howth / SuttonDART to Connollyabout 26 min1North County €2,803
Dún LaoghaireDART to Pearseabout 20 min1South County €3,525
BrayDART to Pearseabout 45 min1Co. Wicklow €1,838 (all types)
GreystonesDART to Connollyabout 60 min2Co. Wicklow €1,838 (all types)
DundrumLuas Green to St Stephen's Greenabout 15 min1South County €3,525
SandyfordLuas Green to St Stephen's Greenabout 22 min1South County €3,525
Cherrywood / Brides GlenLuas Green to St Stephen's Greenabout 40 min1South County €3,525
TallaghtLuas Red to Abbey Streetabout 40 min1West Dublin €2,889
Castleknock / BlanchardstownRail to Connolly (Maynooth line)about 20 to 25 min1West Dublin €2,889
MaynoothRail to Connollyabout 30 to 42 min2Co. Kildare €2,155 (all types)
BalbrigganRail to Connollyabout 38 to 45 min2North County €2,803
Sallins and NaasRail to Heustonabout 39 to 49 min2Co. Kildare €2,155 (all types)
NewbridgeRail to Heustonabout 42 to 54 min3Co. Kildare €2,155 (all types)
DroghedaRail to Connollyabout 56 to 59 min3Co. Louth €1,816 (all types)
The county figures for Kildare, Wicklow and Louth are Daft.ie's overall average rent for the county across all property types, so a three-bed house there will usually cost more than the number shown, while an apartment will cost less. ## Coastal DART suburbs The DART is the most pleasant commute in Dublin: frequent, electric, and with a sea view for most of the route. **Malahide, Portmarnock, Sutton and Howth** on the north side and **Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Killiney** on the south side are all within half an hour of the centre. The catch is price. South County Dublin is the most expensive part of the country to rent in, and the north coast is not far behind. **Bray** in County Wicklow is the affordable end of the DART, with a long promenade, a busy main street and a 45-minute run into Pearse. ## Luas suburbs Along the Green Line, **Dundrum, Stillorgan, Sandyford and Leopardstown** give you tram access and large employers on your doorstep, while **Cherrywood** at the southern end is a new-build district with apartments priced a little below the older suburbs. On the Red Line, **Tallaght, Citywest and Saggart** are the cheapest tram-connected areas in the county, and Kilmainham and Inchicore are popular older choices closer in. Remember that trams are packed between 8am and 9am; if you board near a terminus you will get a seat. ## Rail commuter towns If you want a house with a garden for the price of a city apartment, look at the rail towns. **Maynooth** is a university town with a train every 30 minutes, **Sallins and Naas** and **Newbridge** have fast services into Heuston, and **Balbriggan, Skerries and Drogheda** serve the north. Drogheda is the standout value option: a Zone 3 Leap fare of €6 and Louth's average rent of €1,816 buy you a 56-minute train into Connolly. Check whether your employer is near Heuston or Connolly, because switching between the two adds 20 minutes by Luas. ## Before you sign - Do the journey once at 8am on a weekday before you commit. Timetables and reality differ. - Check car parking at the station if you will drive to the train; many stations fill by 7.30am. - Ask if your employer offers the TaxSaver commuter ticket scheme, which takes the cost of an annual ticket out of your gross pay. - Consider the Bike to Work scheme for the last mile from the station. ## ★ Useful links - [TFI Dublin fare zones](https://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/new-fare-zones/) - [Irish Rail timetables](https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/train-timetables/timetables-by-route) - [Luas](https://www.luas.ie/) - [Daft.ie Rental Report Q2 2026](https://www.daft.ie/report) - [TaxSaver commuter tickets](https://www.taxsaver.ie/) ![](https://www.movingtoireland.co/apple-touch-icon.png) You have read 27% of this guide ## Keep reading in the Moving to Ireland app The rest of **Best Dublin suburbs for commuters** — about 3 minutes more — is in the app, free to download, alongside 98 other guides and a checklist built around your own move. Still to come in this guide - Commuter suburbs compared - Coastal DART suburbs - Luas suburbs - Rail commuter towns [Download free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) iPhone and iPad · no account needed ## More on where to live [All 6 guides in this section](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/) - ### [Best areas to live in Dublin for families](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/best-areas-to-live-in-dublin-for-families/) Moving to Dublin with children changes the question from "where is fun" to "where can we get a school place, a garden, a park and a commute that does not… 4 min read - ### [Best areas of Dublin for young professionals](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/best-areas-to-live-in-dublin-for-young-professionals/) If you are moving to Dublin for work and do not have children in tow, your priorities are probably a short commute, somewhere to eat and meet people… 4 min read - ### [Dublin areas ranked by rent](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/dublin-areas-ranked-by-rent/) Before you fall in love with a neighbourhood, it helps to know where it sits on the price ladder. This page ranks Dublin's areas from most to least… 3 min read - ### [Best areas to live in Cork](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/where-to-live/best-areas-to-live-in-cork/) Cork is Ireland's second city and, for many people moving for jobs in pharma, tech or at the universities, it is a happier fit than Dublin: smaller… 3 min read Keep going ## Get the full where-to-live roadmap in the app Moving to Ireland turns 99 guides into a personal checklist. Tell it your passport, whether you have moved yet, and who is coming with you, and it lays out every step in order — from the visa to the bins. - Step-by-step checklist - Tailored to your passport - Pre-move & post-move - Family & pet sections [![Download Moving to Ireland on the App Store](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-store-badge.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) ★★★★★ 4.9 on the App Store [![Expats who settled in Ireland, two five-star App Store reviews, and the Moving to Ireland app showing its relocation checklist](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-social-proof.webp)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261)