It's more expensive to build a two bedroom apartment in Dublin than a 3 bed house.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors has issued a report showing it's not commercially viable to put up affordable apartments in the city centre.

According to the Society of Chartered Surveyors, building costs for medium rise apartments in Dublin city centre start from €470K for a 2-bed, while the average price of building a 3-bed semi in Dublin is €330K

Recently, housing Minister Eoghan Murphy announced that he was easing height restrictions on new structures to encourage more build to rent projects, however this new research also shows that the higher the building, the greater the cost.

Viable apartments require a joint income of 87 thousand euro, making affordable apartments in the city centre almost impossible.

The SCSI says 'the clear message from the report is that we must drive down the costs of building apartments if they are to provide part of the solution to our housing crisis'.

Kim Buckley has this report: