Athlone, Co. Westmeath scores 62/100 for quality of life, #48 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “steady — moves with the market”. The median home sells for €290,000 (most €216,250–€350,000), it scores 31/100 for safety (99.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 21,977 people live here. It's strongest on affordability and transport & services, weakest on safety.
Updated August 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
Below average today — tracking the national trend — no strong local tailwind or headwind.
These seven scores and the 62/100 are measured across the N37 Eircode area, not Athlone alone — an area that takes in much of WESTMEATH. A strong or weak pocket inside it can read very differently from the area average.
Ranked on quality of life alone — cost of living excluded, so the genuinely best areas rank top even though they cost more. Factor in price and Athlone is #35 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
The score is for the N37 Eircode area; the crime rate is recorded per Garda division (Westmeath). Neither is measured for Athlone on its own.
21,977 people.
Population is for Athlone itself (Census 2022, Small-Area boundary).
11th most vibrant large town in Ireland, of 65 ranked.
Ranked against large towns only; tourist towns read high.
Census profile and the affluence rating are Electoral Division figures — the CSO/Pobal area around Athlone, which is why this unemployment rate can differ from the one behind the quality-of-life scores above (those are Eircode-area wide).
Athlone, Co. Westmeath, scores 62/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #48 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and transport & services.
Athlone scores 31/100 on safety, ~99.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Athlone over the last 24 months was €290,000, most between €216,250 and €350,000 (Property Price Register).
Athlone is rated "Steady — moves with the market" — unemployment fell 19% → 12% — faster than nationally, prices up 5.0%, recorded crime rising faster than the town is growing.
About 17% of homes sold in Athlone in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
94 planning applications were lodged within Athlone in the last 12 months, covering 272 residential units (731 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Athlone scores 76/100 for families and community.
Athlone scores 62/100 for schools and education, with 15 schools in the area.
Athlone is about 63 minutes by road from Galway, with 1 rail stop nearby.
Sale prices from the Property Price Register (rolling 24 months). Quality of Life averages seven equal-weighted dimensions from 40+ metrics across 13 public datasets (CSO census + SAPS, Garda crime, SEAI, EPA, DES schools, GTFS). Population is CSO Census 2022; the “on the up” trajectory compares 2016→2022. Figures refresh daily · an area assessment, not advice on a specific property. Updated August 2026.