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 expensive using the two sources that matter: the Daft.ie Rental Report, which measures asking rents on new listings, and the RTB Rent Index, which measures rents actually registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. Both were published in 2026 and both are quoted with their period, because rents moved sharply after the rent rules changed on 1 March 2026.
Two sources, two numbers
Ranked by Daft.ie asking rent, Q2 2026
Daft.ie divides Dublin into six regions. The figure is the average monthly asking rent across all property types in the second quarter of 2026 (report published August 2026).
| Rank | Daft.ie region | Typical areas | Average rent, Q2 2026 |
| 1 | Dublin City Centre | Dublin 1, 2, Docklands, inner Dublin 7 and 8 | €2,801 |
| 2 | South County Dublin | Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire, Dundrum, Sandyford, Stillorgan | €2,656 |
| 3 | North County Dublin | Malahide, Swords, Portmarnock, Balbriggan | €2,542 |
| 4 | West Dublin | Lucan, Clondalkin, Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Castleknock | €2,526 |
| 5 | North Dublin City | Drumcondra, Clontarf, Raheny, Phibsborough, Finglas | €2,470 |
| 6 | South Dublin City | Rathmines, Ranelagh, Terenure, Rathfarnham, Crumlin | €2,352 |
The order surprises people: South Dublin City, home of the "posh" Dublin 6 postcodes, ranks last. That is because the region also includes large areas of older, smaller housing in Dublin 12 and Dublin 6W, and because it has more house shares and studios in the mix. When you compare like with like, a one-bed apartment in South Dublin City (€2,083) costs more than in North Dublin City (€1,960) or West Dublin (€1,869).
Ranked by RTB registered rent, Q1 2026
The RTB reports by local authority. These are standardised average rents for the first quarter of 2026 (index published September 2026), with the year-on-year change for new tenancies.
| Rank | Local authority | New tenancies, Q1 2026 | Change on Q1 2025 | Existing tenancies, Q1 2026 |
| 1 | Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown | €2,629 | +6.8% | €2,301 |
| 2 | Dublin City | €2,301 | +8.3% | €1,901 |
| 3 | Fingal | €2,269 | +10.4% | €1,866 |
| 4 | South Dublin | €2,267 | +6.9% | €1,934 |
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is the most expensive local authority in the country on either measure. Fingal, in the north of the county, saw the fastest growth in new-tenancy rents in Dublin over the year.
Ranked by property type
If you already know what you want to rent, this table from the Daft.ie Q2 2026 report is more useful than the regional averages. Figures are monthly asking rents.
| Property type | Most expensive region | Cheapest region |
| Studio | South Dublin City €1,589 | West Dublin €1,355 |
| 1-bed apartment | South County €2,150 | West Dublin €1,869 |
| 2-bed apartment | South Dublin City €2,839 | West Dublin €2,353 |
| 3-bed house | South County €3,525 | North County €2,803 |
| 4-bed house | South Dublin City €4,531 | West Dublin €3,436 |
| Double room in a shared house | City Centre €947 | West Dublin €842 |
Beyond the county boundary
The steepest drop in rent happens when you cross into the commuter counties. Daft.ie's Q2 2026 averages are €2,155 in Kildare, €1,838 in Wicklow, €1,816 in Louth and €1,569 in Meath, against €2,551 for a two-bed apartment in Dublin. If you can work from home part of the week, or your office is near Heuston or Connolly, a rail town can cut your rent by a third. See our guide to the best Dublin suburbs for commuters for journey times and fares.
How to use these figures
- Treat them as averages. A modern apartment in a cheaper region can cost more than an old one in a dearer region.
- Rents rose fastest in early 2026 because landlords can reset rent to market level between tenancies under the new rules. Once you are in, increases are capped at 2% a year or inflation, whichever is lower.
- A deposit cannot exceed one month's rent, and advance rent cannot exceed one month.
- Check that your tenancy is registered with the RTB; it is the landlord's legal duty and it protects you.
