Everyday money
Rent to income: how much of your pay goes on rent, county by county
Last updated 16 October 2026
On the typical (median) salary, an average new Dublin tenancy takes over half of take-home pay. Rent-to-income ratios by county, from official figures.
The rent-to-income ratio is your rent as a share of your income. It is the simplest test of whether a home is affordable, and it varies more by county than almost any other living cost.
Gross (before tax) or take-home?
You can measure it against gross pay or take-home pay. For your own budget, take-home pay matters more, because tax, USC and PRSI come out first. The same rent is a much larger share of what you actually receive.
By county
Take a single person on the 2025 median full-year earnings of €46,305, from the Central Statistics Office. They pay the Residential Tenancies Board's average rent for a new tenancy in early 2026, and claim the Rent Tax Credit:
| County | Average new rent a month | Share of gross pay | Share of take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | €2,335 | 61% | 72% |
| Wicklow | €1,888 | 49% | 59% |
| Kildare | €1,852 | 48% | 57% |
| Galway | €1,718 | 45% | 53% |
| Cork | €1,678 | 43% | 52% |
| Limerick | €1,744 | 45% | 54% |
| Waterford | €1,371 | 36% | 43% |
| Donegal | €1,107 | 29% | 34% |
| Leitrim | €1,040 | 27% | 32% |
These are averages across all property sizes; a one-bed costs less than the county average, and a family home more. Existing tenancies average less: in Dublin, €1,960 a month against €2,335 for a new one.
Sharing the cost
Take a married couple or civil partners, each on the median salary and taxed jointly, renting the average new Dublin home. They pay 36% of their combined take-home pay, after a Rent Tax Credit of up to €2,000.
Making the number work for you
- Work out your ratio on take-home pay, and include heating and electricity if they aren't in the rent.
- Claim the Rent Tax Credit: it is worth up to €1,000 in 2026 and €1,150 in 2027 for a single renter.
- Before moving for a job, compare what is left after rent in each place: see whether a pay rise is worth moving for.
- If you are thinking of buying, our rent or buy comparison sets rent against mortgage costs.
Work it out
Sources
- Residential Tenancies Board: RTB Rent Index Q1 2026 (Table 5: standardised average rent by county) (checked 25/10/2026)
- Central Statistics Office: Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources 2025: Annual Earnings (checked 25/10/2026)
- Revenue: Rent Tax Credit: how much can you claim? (checked 25/10/2026)
General information, not tax advice. HeyPenny is not a tax agent.