Kenmare, Co. Kerry scores 67/100 for quality of life, #26 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “declining”. The median home sells for €300,000 (most €250,000–€427,313), it scores 72/100 for safety (42.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 2,566 people live here, up 7.1% 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
About average today — the fundamentals are slipping behind the rest of the country.
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 Kenmare is #18 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
2,566 people, up 7.1% since 2016.
Kenmare, Co. Kerry, scores 67/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #26 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and transport & services.
Kenmare scores 72/100 on safety, ~42.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Kenmare over the last 24 months was €300,000, most between €250,000 and €427,313 (Property Price Register).
Kenmare is rated "Declining" — unemployment fell just 2 points — lagging the national fall, prices up 144.5%, recorded crime rising faster than the town is growing.
About 21% of homes sold in Kenmare in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
25 planning applications were lodged within Kenmare in the last 12 months (164 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Kenmare scores 78/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 7.1% since 2016).
Kenmare scores 41/100 for schools and education, with 2 schools in the area.
Kenmare is about 80 minutes by road from Cork.
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.