Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough), Co. Laois scores 53/100 for quality of life, #91 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “stagnating”. The median home sells for €312,388 (most €240,000–€348,016), it scores 40/100 for safety (90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 23,120 people live here. 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 — improving in absolute terms, but falling behind 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 Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) is #85 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
23,120 people.
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough), 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.
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) scores 40/100 on safety, ~90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) over the last 24 months was €312,388, most between €240,000 and €348,016 (Property Price Register).
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) is rated "Stagnating" — unemployment fell 16% → 12%, in line with nationally, third-level education up only 4 points — behind the national rise, prices up 25.1%.
About 13% of homes sold in Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
96 planning applications were lodged within Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) in the last 12 months, covering 905 residential units (784 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) scores 78/100 for families and community.
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) scores 44/100 for schools and education, with 5 schools in the area.
Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) is about 69 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.