Donegal is one of the most affordable counties for first-time buyers.
According to research by Chill Insurance, a single applicant now needs just under €50,000 to qualify for a mortgage, lower than salaries required in Dublin or Wicklow.
New analysis from Chill shows a single applicant would need to earn €49,275 to qualify under Central Bank mortgage rules.
That compares with a median income of €35,010, leaving an income shortfall of €14,265.
Chill’s study compared median first-time-buyer home prices in every county with median local incomes, applying Central Bank limits of 90% loan-to-value and a maximum loan of four times gross income.
The findings show that no county in Ireland is fully affordable for a single buyer on the national median salary of €43,221, but Donegal ranks among the most accessible.
In Donegal, the median first-time-buyer home price now stands at €219,000, making it one of the cheapest counties to get on the property ladder.
