Friendly Faces & a Brutal Housing Market for Expats in Ireland in 2026

Ireland charms expats with a warm welcome and strong careers, but a punishing housing market and struggling healthcare system weigh heavily.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
A Warm Welcome
Great Job Prospects & Time to Enjoy Life
A Punishing Housing Market
Beautiful Nature, Strained Services
The Typical Expat in Ireland
Further Reading

In Brief

Ireland ranks 18th out of 31 destinations in the Expat Insider 2026 survey. Its strengths are the Working Abroad (5th) and Ease of Settling In (8th) Indices. Results for Expat Essentials (22nd) are mixed, while the Quality of Life (29th) and Personal Finance (28th) Indices are the major drags.

Still, Ireland places 10th for happiness overall, with over a third of respondents (36%) saying they’re completely happy (vs. 24% globally).

A Warm Welcome

Ireland ranks 8th in the Ease of Settling In Index. Over seven in ten expats agree that the local population is friendly towards foreign residents (72% vs. 61% globally) and that they feel welcome in the country (72% vs. 64%). More than two in five (41%) even say they feel completely at home in Ireland (vs. 29%)!

Opinion

I love the welcoming and friendly nature of the local people, the vibrant international professional community, and the beautiful green spaces throughout the city. (Nicaraguan expat in Dublin)

Opinion

Getting used to the local culture is comparatively easy (10th), too, and three in five expats (60%) are happy with their social life (vs. 54% globally).

Great Job Prospects & Time to Enjoy Life

Ireland performs best when it comes to Working Abroad (5th). This includes a 2nd place in the Career Prospects Subcategory. Expats appreciate the local job market (5th) and their personal career opportunities (4th), with close to two-thirds (64%) agreeing that moving to Ireland has improved their prospects (vs. 55% globally).

Expats benefit from a strong economy (9th) and high job security (3rd) that doesn’t come at the cost of free time. The average full-time week is a reasonable 40.3 hours against the 42.2-hour global norm, and overall job satisfaction ranks 7th — a strong all-around result for working expats. Plus, two-thirds (67%) agree that the Irish business culture supports flexibility (vs. 56%).

A Punishing Housing Market

Money and housing are where Ireland struggles, with the country landing in the bottom 5 of the Personal Finance Index (28th). Only 15% of respondents rate the cost of living positively (vs. 39%), and 37% find that their disposable household income is not enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 29%).

Housing is the worst element of all: Ireland places dead last for both the ease of finding a place and its affordability — a staggering four in five expats (80%) rate the costs for accommodation negatively (vs. 49% globally)

The housing market was also the leading concern before moving to Ireland, named by over two in five respondents (44%). The climate (36%) and high cost of living (32%) follow.

Beautiful Nature, Strained Services

The Quality of Life Index (29th) is held back by services and weather. Ireland only just escapes last place when it comes to Healthcare (30th). Compared to the global average, expats are much less likely to be satisfied with its availability (47% vs. 71% globally), affordability (49% vs. 63%), and quality (49% vs. 71%).

The Travel & Transit Subcategory performs even worse (31st), with uninspiring results across all its underlying factors. This includes, but is not limited to, the availability (30th) and affordability (28th) of public transport as well as the infrastructure for cars (28th).

Opinion

The health care system is extremely expensive and overwhelmed with long waiting lists, the transport infrastructure is obsolete, the housing prices are over the roof, travelling abroad is costly as the sole effective means of travelling internationally is flying. (Hungarian expat in Dublin)

Opinion

The climate (28th) drags Ireland further down, though some of the country’s redeeming features are environmental, too. Ireland ranks 6th for air quality, with over four in five expats (84%) satisfied with this factor (vs. 65%). They also appreciate Ireland’s natural environment (10th) and the governments’ policies to protect this environment (10th).