REVEALED: The cheapest county in Ireland for rental properties

The cheapest county in Ireland to rent a property has been revealed with Donegal coming out as the winner, according to the latest Daft.ie Rental Price Report.

Leitrim, previously the cheapest county to rent nationwide, saw its rents become more expensive than rental prices in Donegal during Q1 of 2025. The average rental price in Donegal is now €1,231, just €3 less than Leitrim’s €1,234, which saw its rental prices increase by 11.4% in the last 12 months compared to Donegal’s 3.1% increase in rental prices.

Donegal’s 3.1% year-on-year rental price increase was the lowest county increase in the country and considerably lower than the national average of 7.3% rise.

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Limerick City saw a staggering 20.4% increase in year-on-year rental prices, whilst rental properties in Dublin South County were the most expensive at €2,794.

The average rental price for a one-bed apartment in Donegal is now €765. A two-bed house would set the average Donegal tenant back €890, and a three-bed property costs on average €1,045. A standard four-bed house in Donegal costs €1,141, and a five-bed house averages at €1,256.

Ronan Lyons, the Associate Professor in Economics at Trinity College, highlighted poor property availability as a reason for the increase in rental prices.

He said: “The upward pressure on open-market rents reflects incredibly poor availability. Just over 2,300 homes were available to rent on May 1, down 14% year-on-year and the third-worst May figure in the last two decades (after 2022 and 2023).”