Rathnew, Co. Wicklow scores 60/100 for quality of life, #58 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “on the up”. The median home sells for €371,500 (most €323,898–€405,286), it scores 70/100 for safety (43.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 3,237 people live here, up 20.5% since 2016. It's strongest on environment and family & community, weakest on schools & education.
Updated August 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
About average today — and pulling ahead of 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 Rathnew is #77 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
3,237 people, up 20.5% since 2016.
Rathnew, Co. Wicklow, scores 60/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #58 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on environment and family & community.
Rathnew scores 70/100 on safety, ~43.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Rathnew over the last 24 months was €371,500, most between €323,898 and €405,286 (Property Price Register).
Rathnew is rated "On the up" — unemployment fell 14% → 8%, in line with nationally, population grew 20.5% — well above the national 8%, prices up 13.4%.
New builds are rare in Rathnew — under 1% of recent sales (Property Price Register).
6 planning applications were lodged within Rathnew in the last 12 months (63 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Rathnew scores 77/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 20.5% since 2016).
Rathnew scores 35/100 for schools and education, with 2 schools in the area.
Rathnew is about 47 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.