Raphoe, Co. Donegal scores 46/100 for quality of life, #106 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “on the up — emerging”. The median home sells for €136,000 (most €100,000–€154,185), it scores 71/100 for safety (44.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 1,161 people live here, up 17% since 2016. It's strongest on affordability and family & community, weakest on schools & education.
Updated August 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 Raphoe is #101 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
1,161 people, up 17% since 2016.
Raphoe, Co. Donegal, scores 46/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #106 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and family & community.
Raphoe scores 71/100 on safety, ~44.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Raphoe over the last 24 months was €136,000, most between €100,000 and €154,185 (Property Price Register).
Raphoe is rated "On the up — emerging" — unemployment fell 29% → 17% — faster than nationally, population grew 17.0% — well above the national 8%, prices up 52.0%, recorded crime falling.
New builds are rare in Raphoe — under 1% of recent sales (Property Price Register).
11 planning applications were lodged within Raphoe in the last 12 months, covering 3 residential units (42 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Raphoe scores 80/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 17% since 2016).
Raphoe scores 17/100 for schools and education, with 4 schools in the area.
Raphoe is about 184 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 August 2026.