Youghal, Co. Cork scores 61/100 for quality of life, #50 of the 108 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “steady — moves with the market”. The median home sells for €255,000 (most €205,000–€325,000), it scores 61/100 for safety (58.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 8,260 people live here, up 9.3% since 2016. It's strongest on affordability and environment, weakest on transport & services.
Updated August 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
Below average today — tracking the national trend — no strong local tailwind or headwind.
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 Youghal is #31 of 108 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
8,260 people, up 9.3% since 2016.
21st most vibrant small town in Ireland, of 129 ranked.
Vibrancy is the plain count of places to eat, drink and go out — restaurants, cafés, pubs, takeaways, nightclubs and cinemas inside the town boundary. Per head is the different question of whether a town is well served for its size.
Ranked against small towns only. Tourist towns read high — the venues are real, but not all of them are there for the people who live here.
Youghal, Co. Cork, scores 61/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #50 of the 108 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and environment.
Youghal scores 61/100 on safety, ~58.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Youghal over the last 24 months was €255,000, most between €205,000 and €325,000 (Property Price Register).
Youghal is rated "Steady — moves with the market" — unemployment fell 21% → 10% — faster than nationally, prices up 24.1%, recorded crime rising faster than the town is growing.
About 3% of homes sold in Youghal in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
58 planning applications were lodged within Youghal in the last 12 months, covering 165 residential units (335 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Youghal scores 77/100 for families and community, and its population is growing (up 9.3% since 2016).
Youghal scores 56/100 for schools and education, with 4 schools in the area.
Youghal is about 45 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 August 2026.