RENTS across Limerick city and county have skyrocketed since the Covid-19 pandemic, with average monthly price tags currently sitting at €2,422 in the city and €1,693 in the county.
That’s according to housing website Daft.ie’s latest Price Rental Report for the residental market in the second quarter of this year.
The report puts the Treaty City far above the national monthly rental average of €2,055, as the second most expensive city in the country to rent in, outside of Dublin.
Commenting on the stark results, the author of the report, Trinity College Dublin associate professor of economics Ronan Lyons, said that “the upward march of rents continues, as availability shows little sign of improving”.
The Daft.ie report, taken from a snapshot of statistics on the housing website’s listings on August 1, shows increases across the board on rental properties in both the city and county.
Daft.ie figures show rental costs for a one-bed apartment in the city standing at €1,363, up 10 per cent year-on-year. A two-bed house will set renters back €1,662 (up 7.7 per cent), with a three-bed house costing €2,053 (up 12.8 per cent), a four-bed home costing €2,359 (up 0.5 per cent), and a five-bed at €2,765 (up 14.3 per cent).
The rising figures put the Treaty City as the second most expensive city in the country to rent in, outside of Dublin with average prices of €2,508 in the city centre.
In the county, a one-bed apartment was reported as costing €1,066 (up 5.4 per cent year-on-year), a two-bed home at €1,263 (up 6.9 per cent), a three-bed at €1,471 (up 5.8 per cent), and a five-bed at €1,813 (up 9.6 per cent).
This puts the average montly costs in the city up 96 per cent on pre-Covid prices, the Daft.ie report showed, with costs in the county up 81 per cent.
In contrast, the average price in Galway City was reported as €2,295, and €2,241 in Cork City.
For renters not in a position to take up residence in their own home, a single bedroom in a shared home averaged at €725 per month in the city and €579 in the suburbs. Double bedrooms in the city and suburbs rang in at €718 and €671 respectively.
Rents nationally are at their cheapest on average in Donegal (€1,249), Leitrim (€1,261), and Monaghan (€1,360).
The report also suggested growing unavailability of homes to rent, with just 2,300 properties available to rent in all of Ireland on August 1 on Daft.ie, down 15 per cent on the same date last year – a continuing trend for the fourth consecutive quarter.
Professor Lyons reported that rents at a national level have increased by 6.9 per cent in the last year to June 2025, in line with inflation rates since late 2023.
He suggested that the change in the State’s rent pressure zone system, announced earlier this year allowing landlords to reset rents to going market rate once current tenants move on, may signal “a potential turning point for the rental market”.
“The system is in something of a holding pattern until the new year, when the changes actually take effect. Indeed, one concern was that – by effectively pausing on changing the system – rental homes that come empty would be held off the market until those new rules come into effect,” Professor Lyons said. “It is too early to tell if that’s the case.”
“As has been the case for almost 15 years, the solution to a deficit of rental housing is ensuring more rental housing gets built. We shall wait and see.”
The Trinity College Professor suggested in the report that, by comparison, mortgages may be the way to go for those looking for a roof over their head, with costs across the county lower per month on average.
According to the report, a mortgage on a one-bed apartment in the city would cost in the region of €730 per month (compared to €1,363 rental), with a two-bed home costing €870 (vs €1,662 rent), €1,241 for a three-bed (€2,053 rent), €2,286 for a four-bed (€2,359 rent), and €2,601 for a five-bed (€2,765 rent).
In the county, a mortgage on a one-bed apartment was reported as €480 per month versus €1,066 on the rental market, a two-bed house at €527 (€1,263), €717 for a three-bed (€1,471 rent), €1,454 for a four-bed (€1,691 rent), and €1,468 for a five-bed (€1,813 rent).
