New research by Switcher.ie has revealed the best Irish towns and cities to work from home. The study is based on data like broadband speed, house prices, crime rates, green spaces, cafes, GPs and top schools.
New legislation which gives employees the right to request remote work is expected by the end of the year. With 91% planning to work fully remote or hybrid, Ireland’s towns and local economies could also enjoy the benefits of an increasingly mobile workforce.
Top Ten
Castlebar coined the top spot as the best place to work from home in Ireland. Not only are house prices considerably lower than others on our list, it offers a winning mix of great leisure amenities, speedy broadband, 5G mobile coverage and plenty of green spaces.
Leixslip, Navan, Galway and Longford were among the top five places to work from home.
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Castlebar
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Average house prices: €205,100
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 63.47
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.16
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Leixlip
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Average house prices: €414,366
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 30.7
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.23
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Full fibre: .5 (<50% coverage)
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Navan
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Average house prices: €309,389
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 47.69
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.99
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Galway
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Average house prices: €336,594
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 93.95
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.88
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Longford
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Average house prices: €162,899
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 108.91
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.60
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Gorey
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Average house prices: €288,857
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 76.05
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.93
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Clonmel
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Average house prices: €221,707
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 84.89
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.46
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Mallow
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Average house prices: €210,639
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 65.9
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.20
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
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Portmarnock
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Average house prices: €549,986
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 45.86
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.27
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Full fibre: .5 (<50% coverage)
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Sligo
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Average house prices: €213,164
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Crime rate per 1000 people: 62.82
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Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.72
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Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Most Affordable
Longford was the most affordable town to buy a house in our study. House prices were based on the average house price in August 2022.
Top 5 affordable towns to work remotely were Longford, Ballina, Cavan, Letterkenny and Shannon.
For Families
Castlebar has also taken the top spot for the best place to work from home with a family. To calculate the best town to work from home with a family, we summed index scores for house prices, crime rate, number of GPs surgeries and high-ranking schools.
Top towns for families to work remotely were Castlebar, Arklow, Midleton, Cobh and Enniscorthy.
Safest
Skerries had the lowest rate of recorded crime per 1,000 people in 2021, giving it the title of safest place to work from home.
Top 5 safest places to work from home were Skerries, Cobh, Celbridge, Carrigaline and Shannon.
