Portarlington, Co. Laois scores 53/100 for quality of life, #91 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “on the up — emerging”. The median home sells for €281,938 (most €225,000–€324,373), it scores 40/100 for safety (90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 8,560 people live here, up 13% since 2016. It's strongest on affordability and family & community, weakest on local economy.
Updated July 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 Portarlington is #85 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
8,560 people, up 13% since 2016.
Portarlington, Co. Laois, scores 53/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #91 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and family & community.
Portarlington scores 40/100 on safety, ~90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Portarlington over the last 24 months was €281,938, most between €225,000 and €324,373 (Property Price Register).
Portarlington is rated "On the up — emerging" — unemployment fell 18% → 10% — faster than nationally, population grew 13.0% — well above the national 8%, prices up 288.9%.
About 8% of homes sold in Portarlington in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
59 planning applications were lodged within Portarlington in the last 12 months, covering 366 residential units (325 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Portarlington scores 78/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 13% since 2016).
Portarlington scores 44/100 for schools and education, with 4 schools in the area.
Portarlington is about 66 minutes by road from Dublin, 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 July 2026.