Single people who are on the median Irish wage are able to afford homes in just seven counties.
A new analysis of CSO data shows they would only be able to get a mortgage for a property in Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon or Sligo.
The analysis compared the median salary against the median price of a house.
Across Ireland, the estimated median salary for 2020 was just over €38,000.
With a 20% deposit, this would allow a buyer to get a property worth €185,200.
This was far less than the actual median house price of €260,000.
Kieran McQuinn, a research professor at the ESRI, says the market is biased towards couples “Ever since the early 2000s, it’s almost like the mortgage market is assuming that you’re talking about a dual-income couple buying a property, unless the single income is a really high level. It’s almost built into the system.”
*Reporting by Paul O'Donoghue
