House prices 25% above level at height of Celtic Tiger boom

The latest figures show a heightened jump in the cost of apartment sales across the country — up 6.8% in Dublin and 12.5% elsewhere. File photo: Andrew Matthews/PA

House prices across the country are now fully 25% ahead of the highest levels seen during the property boom, with the average cost of buying a home in Dublin at €500,000.

The latest residential property price index from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that prices increased nationally by 7% in the 12 months to December 2025, a slight drop from the 7.3% to the end of last September.

Prices in Dublin rose by 5.6% over the 12 months, a slight uptick on the 5.4% seen three months previously, while house sale costs jumped 8.1% outside the capital.

The median price of a house sale was €387,000 in the 12 months to last December. The median is the middle figure in a row of numbers sorted from top to bottom, as opposed to the average.

Prices across the country are now 25% ahead of the highest levels of the Celtic Tiger, which preceded the global economic crash in 2007. The trend is particularly noticeable outside Dublin, where prices are close to 28% higher than they were in May 2007.

Similarly, prices nationwide are now 179% higher than their lowest levels in early 2013.

Ross Lynch, a senior mortgage adviser with NFP Ireland, said that the price rises show “that 2025 ended on a strong note for the Irish housing market”.

He said the surge in sale prices, while likely to cheer sellers, will likely lead to much concern among aspiring housebuyers “as it means they are likely to continue to face significant affordability issues”.

Mr Lynch said the latest report, together with previously released numbers indicating record levels of mortgage drawdowns in 2025, showcases “the ongoing imbalance between supply and demand in the housing market”.

The latest figures are primarily drawn by a heightened jump in the cost of apartment sales across the country — up 6.8% in Dublin and 12.5% elsewhere.

The most expensive area by Eircode across Ireland was Blackrock in south Dublin, which saw median sale prices of €830,000 across 2025, with the lowest prices by the same metric seen in Castlerea in Co Roscommon.

The most expensive area in Cork by median price remains Kinsale, though at €485,000 that figure saw a slight decrease from the €490,000 posted three months previously.

The region outside Dublin which saw the heaviest growth year on year was the Midlands — Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath. The lowest such rises were seen in the West, including Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.