Macroom, Co. Cork 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 €318,502 (most €268,339–€361,233), it scores 61/100 for safety (58.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 4,235 people live here. It's strongest on affordability and family & community, weakest on transport & services.
Updated October 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 P12 Eircode area, not Macroom alone — an area that takes in much of Cork. 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 Macroom is #50 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
The score is for the P12 Eircode area; the crime rate is recorded per Garda division (Cork City). Neither is measured for Macroom on its own.
4,235 people.
Population is for Macroom itself (Census 2022, Small-Area boundary).
49th 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 Macroom, which is why this unemployment rate can differ from the one behind the quality-of-life scores above (those are Eircode-area wide).
Macroom, Co. Cork, 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 family & community.
Macroom scores 61/100 on safety, ~58.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Macroom over the last 24 months was €318,502, with most sales between €268,339 and €361,233 (Property Price Register, rolling 24 months).
The median sale price in Macroom over the last 24 months was €318,502, most between €268,339 and €361,233 (Property Price Register).
Macroom is rated "Steady — moves with the market" — unemployment fell 12% → 8%, in line with nationally, third-level education up only 4 points — behind the national rise, prices up 13.4%, recorded crime falling.
About 44% of homes sold in Macroom in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
16 planning applications were lodged within Macroom in the last 12 months, covering 11 residential units (235 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Macroom scores 87/100 for families and community.
Macroom scores 44/100 for schools and education, with 5 schools in the area.
Macroom is about 39 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 October 2026.