Carlow rents surge 11.4% as local market outpaces national trend

Carlow rents surge 11.4% as local market outpaces national trend RENTS in Carlow have risen sharply over the past year, with average market rents now standing at €1,693 per month – an increase of 11.4% compared with the same period in 2024. The figures come from Daft.ie’s latest quarterly Rental Report, which shows the county’s rental inflation running well above the national average of 6.9%.

The Carlow surge means rents in the county have climbed by 71% since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, underscoring the pressure facing local households.

A breakdown of property types shows that rents for a typical three-bed house in Carlow have risen to €1,500 a month, while a four-bed now averages €1,702.

Nationally, the average monthly rent between April and June was €2,055, more than double the Celtic Tiger peak and 51% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The report notes that this was the 18th consecutive quarter of rising rents across Ireland.

Availability remains a major concern. Just 2,300 homes were available to rent nationwide on 1 August, down 15% compared with a year earlier and less than half the average seen between 2015 and 2019.

Report author Ronan Lyons, associate professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, said the ongoing increases are “being driven by extreme scarcity of rental housing, relative to underlying need.” He added that while the government has recently eased some rent control rules to encourage new investment, “it will be a number of years before any increase in supply is meaningful enough to start addressing the large deficit.” Carlow’s annual rent inflation places it among the higher-growth counties in Leinster, outpacing nearby Kilkenny (9.5%) and Wexford (5.1%).