Carndonagh, Co. Donegal scores 42/100 for quality of life, #105 of the 107 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “stagnating”. The median home sells for €161,000 (most €120,000–€223,750), it scores 70/100 for safety (39 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 2,550 people live here. It's strongest on affordability and family & community, weakest on local economy.
Updated October 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
Below average today — improving in absolute terms, but falling behind the national trend.
These seven scores and the 42/100 are measured across the F93 Eircode area, not Carndonagh alone — an area that takes in much of Donegal. 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 Carndonagh is #102 of 107 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
The score is for the F93 Eircode area; the crime rate is recorded per Garda division (Donegal). Neither is measured for Carndonagh on its own.
2,550 people.
Population is for Carndonagh itself (Census 2022, Small-Area boundary).
55th most vibrant small town in Ireland, of 131 ranked.
Ranked against small towns only; tourist towns read high.
Census profile and the affluence rating are Electoral Division figures — the CSO/Pobal area around Carndonagh, which is why this unemployment rate can differ from the one behind the quality-of-life scores above (those are Eircode-area wide).
Carndonagh, Co. Donegal, scores 42/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #105 of the 107 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and family & community.
Carndonagh scores 70/100 on safety, ~39.0 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Carndonagh over the last 24 months was €161,000, with most sales between €120,000 and €223,750 (Property Price Register, rolling 24 months).
The median sale price in Carndonagh over the last 24 months was €161,000, most between €120,000 and €223,750 (Property Price Register).
Carndonagh is rated "Stagnating" — unemployment fell 24% → 13% — faster than nationally, third-level education up only 3 points — behind the national rise, recorded crime rising faster than the town is growing.
New builds are rare in Carndonagh — under 1% of recent sales (Property Price Register).
22 planning applications were lodged within Carndonagh in the last 12 months, covering 8 residential units (177 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Carndonagh scores 77/100 for families and community.
Carndonagh scores 14/100 for schools and education, with 6 schools in the area.
Carndonagh is about 227 minutes by road from Dublin.
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 October 2026.