5 Reasons To Relocate Outside of Dublin
Dublin is regarded as rife with opportunity, and rightly so. But recent years have shown that the Capital doesn’t have it all, with many choosing to relocate outside of Dublin to cities, towns and villages that offer a better quality of life.
When it comes to choosing where you want to live, it’s all about finding a location that suits your quality of life needs. This varies from person to person, of course.
Ireland is changing rapidly, and due to economic, socio-cultural, political and technological changes, and COVID-19, the profiles of Ireland’s cities, towns and villages are much different.
Dublin is considered the focal point of the Irish economy, but Ireland is becoming more regionally balanced as a result of Project Ireland 2040, making living outside of Dublin more of an attractive prospect than it ever has before.
According to the 2016 Census, of the 263,551 people who migrated internally in Ireland, 94,182 of these migrated from Dublin. That’s more than a third (36%) of internal movers.
With the above in mind, here are 5 Reasons to Relocate Outside of Dublin:
1. Cost of Living
Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in Europe – even beating out London, and with recent reports putting the average Dublin rent at €1,745 per month, it’s clear that rent prices don’t help.
It is generally ‘suggested’ that rent prices should equate to no more than 30% of our wages, while Dubliners have been estimated to have spent up to 55% of take-home pay on rent.
Comparatively, many of Ireland’s cities and towns have much lower rent averages, such as Limerick City (€1,268), Waterford City (€1,067), Tipperary (€908) and Wexford (€902).
2. House Prices
As of Q1 of 2021, the average listed house price in Dublin City Centre was €398,127, higher again in South Dublin at €438,715. These increases do not appear to be slowing down.
The clear attraction of living outside of the Capital is the significantly lower house prices, which in many cases are almost half the cost of those in Dublin.
For example, the average listed house price in Waterford City is €202,150, Limerick City being €225,093 and Offaly listed prices at €213,523.
3. Commuting
As Dublin is a busy city, traffic congestion is just a normal part of life there, particularly in the city centre, making public transport the most viable option.
While the likes of the LUAS and the DART are a great way of getting around in the city, buses can’t provide the same assurance and can get delayed regularly.
Many people who live in commuter towns outside of Dublin face losing dozens of hours per week in getting to and from their workplaces in Dublin. This is supported by recent research which suggests that Dublin has the fifth-longest average commuting time in the European Union.
Getting around is pretty easy in other locations including Galway, Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary, with commutes of approximately 10 to 25 minutes to and from work.
4. Work
The age-old trope that all roads lead to Dublin (in terms of work opportunities) no longer applies to the Ireland of 2021, with huge opportunities spread across the country.
In terms of actual office locations, many of the world’s leading multinational companies are based in places like Limerick (Northern Trust, Deloitte) and Waterford (Sanofi, Bausch & Lomb).
With this in mind, the worldwide remote working revolution has made it so that for many organisations, you can work remotely, wherever you are in the country.
This new normal means that we are now in the position to choose where we want to locate based on what we want, rather than basing our decision solely on working opportunities.
5. Lifestyle
Dublin has no shortage of things to do, full of amenities and services that contribute to its popularity. But the busy, always-on lifestyle is not for everyone.
Many of Ireland’s other cities, towns and villages offer a somewhat quieter lifestyle, with better work-life balance prospects and their own characters, too.
There is so much natural scenery, history, and adventure to discover across the island of Ireland – north, east, south and west.
You should locate somewhere that matches your lifestyle. For example, Limerick has a vibrant city centre, Galway has a strong sense of culture, and Waterford provides easy accessibility to the coast.
We hope that you enjoyed our article, exploring five reasons why you would relocate outside Dublin and exploring the opportunities that exist across Ireland.
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