Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) vs Swords: which is better to live in? (2026)

Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) (D16) and Swords (K67) compared on price, safety, schools and quality of life.

The verdict
Swords is the cheaper of the two — a median €421,500 against Dublin 16 (Ballinteer)'s €640,000 (52% lower). Swords has the stronger safety score (57/100 vs 56/100); on the other facets the two are closely matched.

Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) vs Swords: common questions

Is Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) cheaper than Swords?
No. The median sale price in Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) was €640,000 over the last 12 months, against €421,500 in Swords (Property Price Register).
Is Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) or Swords safer?
Swords scores higher on safety — 56/100 vs 57/100, based on Garda-division crime rates per 1,000 residents.
Which is better for buy-to-let, Dublin 16 (Ballinteer) or Swords?
Swords has the stronger gross rental yield — 6.6% vs 4.3% — 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 (D16 and K67).