Dublin 1 (City Centre) vs Dublin 9 (Drumcondra): which is better to live in? (2026)

Dublin 1 (City Centre) (D01) and Dublin 9 (Drumcondra) (D09) compared on price, safety, schools and quality of life.

The verdict
Dublin 1 (City Centre) is the cheaper of the two — a median €380,000 against Dublin 9 (Drumcondra)'s €491,250 (29% lower). Dublin 9 (Drumcondra) has the stronger safety score (57/100 vs 0/100); on the other facets the two are closely matched.

Dublin 1 (City Centre) vs Dublin 9 (Drumcondra): common questions

Is Dublin 1 (City Centre) cheaper than Dublin 9 (Drumcondra)?
Yes. The median sale price in Dublin 1 (City Centre) over the last 12 months was €380,000, against €491,250 in Dublin 9 (Drumcondra) (Property Price Register).
Is Dublin 1 (City Centre) or Dublin 9 (Drumcondra) safer?
Dublin 9 (Drumcondra) scores higher on safety — 0/100 vs 57/100, based on Garda-division crime rates per 1,000 residents.
Which is better for buy-to-let, Dublin 1 (City Centre) or Dublin 9 (Drumcondra)?
Dublin 1 (City Centre) has the stronger gross rental yield — 7.3% vs 5.6% — though net returns depend on price, condition and tenancy regulation.

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Methodology

Sale prices, premiums and days-to-sale are computed from the Property Price Register (rolling 12 months) matched to original listing prices. Safety scores derive from Garda-division crime rates per 1,000 residents; education and profile figures from CSO census small-area data. The Quality of Life composite averages six equally-weighted dimensions built from 40+ metrics across 13 public datasets. Figures refresh daily; both areas are scoped to their Eircode routing key (D01 and D09).