Ballina, Co. Mayo scores 62/100 for quality of life, #45 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “on the up — emerging”. The median home sells for €176,000 (most €110,000–€266,000), it scores 82/100 for safety (26.9 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 9,955 people live here, up 4.8% since 2016. It's strongest on affordability and transport & services, weakest on schools & education.
Updated August 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
Below average today — but the fundamentals are turning, faster than the national trend.
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 Ballina is #28 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
9,955 people, up 4.8% since 2016.
Ballina, Co. Mayo, scores 62/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #45 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and transport & services.
Ballina scores 82/100 on safety, ~26.9 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Ballina over the last 24 months was €176,000, most between €110,000 and €266,000 (Property Price Register).
Ballina is rated "On the up — emerging" — unemployment fell 25% → 18% — faster than nationally, prices up 34.3%, recorded crime falling.
About 6% of homes sold in Ballina in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
63 planning applications were lodged within Ballina in the last 12 months, covering 22 residential units (422 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Ballina scores 83/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 4.8% since 2016).
Ballina scores 16/100 for schools and education, with 6 schools in the area.
Ballina is about 107 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.