Westmeath rents up 65% since start of Covid-19 pandemic

The average cost of renting a property in Westmeath has nudged close to the €1,700 per month mark, according to the latest Rental Report by Daft.ie.

In Westmeath, market rents were on average 4.8% higher in the first quarter of 2025 than a year previously. The average listed rent is now €1,683, up 65% from the level prevailing when the covid19 pandemic occurred.

The continued rise in rents confirms once more that renters are paying significantly more than what a mortgage on the same property would cost: the average rent on a three-bed is now €1,516 per month, while the average rent on the same property would be €910.

Those seeking a one-bed apartment could expect to face mortgage repayments of €533, but rents of €1,071.

Rents in Westmeath are fifth-highest in Leinster, averaging €2,106 in Wicklow; €2,039 in Kildare; €1,979 in Meath; €1,869 in Louth.

The on-going increase in rents reflects very tight availability, with fewer than 70 homes available to rent on May 1, down almost one third year-on-year and just one third the late 2010s average.

There were fewer than 400 homes available to rent in Leinster (outside Dublin) on that same date, down 24% on the same date a year previously and half the 2015-2019 average.

Countrywide, market rents rose by an average of 3.4% between December and March. This is the joint-second largest increase in market rents (after 2022Q3) on record, in a series that goes back 76 quarters.