County offers lower prices than homes in the city
Galway still most expensive in the West
BUYERS can save well over €100,000 by purchasing a house in Galway County instead of Galway City, according to the latest report by IPAV.
The latest Residential Property Price Barometer, by Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV), revealed the average price of a three-bedroom house in Galway County has increased by 5.26 per cent (€285,000 to €300,000) in the first half of the year 2026 compared to second half of 2025.
The price of a two-bedroom apartment increased by 5.41 per cent (from €185,000 to €195,000) while for the four-bedroom house it increased by 2.82 per cent (from €355,000 to €365,000).
However, even with the increases the price of these houses in Galway County are still over €100,000 less than that of a similar property in Galway City.
A two-bedroom apartment in Galway City is now priced at €322,500; a three-bedroom house costs €445,000 and a four-bedroom house costs around €495,000.
The three-bedroom homes in Galway City remained unchanged in the first half of 2026, while the four-bedrooms and two-bedroom apartments saw an increase of 1.02 per cent and 1.57 per cent respectively.
The report also highlighted that Galway County is the most expensive housing market in the West of Ireland, with family homes (four-bedroom) costing almost €50,000 more than the neighbouring counties.
Nationally, the property prices saw an overall increase of 3.61 per cent compared to an increase of 2.87 per cent in the later half of the year 2025.
Conor Brogan of Keane Mahony Smith Auctioneers in Galway believes that the number of residential properties coming to the market increased at the start of the year due to the new rental regulations that came into effect from March 1.
“The additional supply generated by these changes has largely been absorbed, and there now appears to be a limited pipeline of new stock coming forward,” he said.
He further added that the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and continued cost-of-living pressures and increasing construction/renovation costs may be influencing buyer confidence and affordability.