- Mallow in top 10 best places to work from home in Ireland
- Castlebar, Leixslip, Navan, Galway, Longford, Gorey, Clonmel, Mallow, Portmarnock and Sligo top 10 places to WFH
- Longford is the most affordable place to work from home
- Skerries is the safest place to work from home
- Gorey is the best place to stay fit while working from home
- Castlebar is also the best place to work from home with a family
- Shannon is worst place to work from home for internet connection
New research by Switcher.ie has revealed the best Irish towns and cities to work from home. The study is based on data like broadband speed, house prices, crime rates, green spaces, cafes, GPs and top schools.
New legislation which gives employees the right to request remote work is expected by the end of the year. With 91% planning to work fully remote or hybrid, Ireland’s towns and local economies could also enjoy the benefits of an increasingly mobile workforce.
Top Ten
Castlebar coined the top spot as the best place to work from home in Ireland. Not only are house prices considerably lower than others on our list, it offers a winning mix of great leisure amenities, speedy broadband, 5G mobile coverage and plenty of green spaces.
Leixslip, Navan, Galway and Longford were among the top five places to work from home.
Castlebar
Average house prices: €205,100
Crime rate per 1000 people: 63.47
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.16
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Leixlip
Average house prices: €414,366
Crime rate per 1000 people: 30.7
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.23
Full fibre: .5 (<50% coverage)
Navan
Average house prices: €309,389
Crime rate per 1000 people: 47.69
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.99
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Galway
Average house prices: €336,594
Crime rate per 1000 people: 93.95
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.88
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Longford
Average house prices: €162,899
Crime rate per 1000 people: 108.91
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.60
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Gorey
Average house prices: €288,857
Crime rate per 1000 people: 76.05
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.93
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Clonmel
Average house prices: €221,707
Crime rate per 1000 people: 84.89
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.46
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Mallow
Average house prices: €210,639
Crime rate per 1000 people: 65.9
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.20
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Portmarnock
Average house prices: €549,986
Crime rate per 1000 people: 45.86
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.27
Full fibre: .5 (<50% coverage)
Sligo
Average house prices: €213,164
Crime rate per 1000 people: 62.82
Coffee shops per 1000 people: 1.72
Full fibre: 1 (>50% coverage)
Most Affordable
Longford was the most affordable town to buy a house in our study. House prices were based on the average house price in August 2022.
Top 5 affordable towns to work remotely were Longford, Ballina, Cavan, Letterkenny and Shannon.
For Families
Castlebar has also taken the top spot for the best place to work from home with a family. To calculate the best town to work from home with a family, we summed index scores for house prices, crime rate, number of GPs surgeries and high-ranking schools.
Top towns for families to work remotely were Castlebar, Arklow, Midleton, Cobh and Enniscorthy.
Safest
Skerries had the lowest rate of recorded crime per 1,000 people in 2021, giving it the title of safest place to work from home.
Top 5 safest places to work from home were Skerries, Cobh, Celbridge, Carrigaline and Shannon.
Commercial Director of Switcher.ie, Eoin Clarke said:
The new ‘Work Life Balance Bill’ will give workers a statutory right to request remote working before the end of this year. What started as a safety measure for many companies during the pandemic is now becoming the norm, giving Irish workers a better quality of life and fantastic financial benefits.
All the top contenders in our study have lots to offer, and hotspots range from along the sandy west coast to the midlands and Cork’s Black Valley, as well as satellite towns bordering Dublin. When it comes to peaceful, low cost, scenic places to work from home, there’s plenty to choose from.
A fast and reliable internet connection, reasonable house prices and open, green spaces make all the difference when working remotely. As workers are no longer pinned down to designated office blocks, we will hopefully see a more evenly distributed workforce – which is good for our pockets and good for the local economy.
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