Portlaoise vs Waterford: which is better to live in? (2026)
Portlaoise (R32, Co. Laois) and Waterford (X91, Co. Waterford) compared on price, safety, schools and quality of life — Property Price Register data, updated daily.
The verdict
Waterford is the cheaper of the two — its median sale price of €255,000 runs 8% below Portlaoise's €276,000. Across every metric we track, Waterford takes 1 of the 1 decided categories — but the right pick depends on which categories matter to you.| Metric | Portlaoise | Waterford |
|---|---|---|
| Market | ||
| Median sale price (12m) | €276,000 | €255,000 |
| Typical range (P25–P75) | €210,000 – €355,000 | €185,000 – €355,000 |
| Premium over asking | — | — |
| Sales (12m) | 629 | 881 |
Portlaoise vs Waterford: common questions
- Is Portlaoise cheaper than Waterford?
- No. The median sale price in Portlaoise was €276,000 over the last 12 months, against €255,000 in Waterford (Property Price Register).
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 (R32 and X91).