Thurles vs Kilkenny: which is better to live in? (2026)

Thurles (E41) and Kilkenny (R95) compared on price, safety, schools and quality of life.

The verdict
Thurles is the cheaper of the two — a median €230,000 against Kilkenny's €322,000 (40% lower). Kilkenny has the stronger safety score (65/100 vs 53/100); on the other facets the two are closely matched.

Thurles vs Kilkenny: common questions

Is Thurles cheaper than Kilkenny?
Yes. The median sale price in Thurles over the last 12 months was €230,000, against €322,000 in Kilkenny (Property Price Register).
Is Thurles or Kilkenny safer?
Kilkenny scores higher on safety — 53/100 vs 65/100, based on Garda-division crime rates per 1,000 residents.
Which is better for buy-to-let, Thurles or Kilkenny?
Thurles has the stronger gross rental yield — 5.7% vs 4.8% — though net returns depend on price, condition and tenancy regulation.

Dig deeper

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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 (E41 and R95).