Data as of 5 September 2026. Every figure is sourced and dated. District medians and growth come from the PPR-based series this site uses across all its guides; asking prices and listing examples are live Daft.ie data pulled 5 September 2026 and MUST be re-pulled on the day this page publishes — listings sell and prices move weekly. Items marked “verify at publish” must be re-checked by the editor before going live.
€400,000 is the number that decides whether a Dublin first-time buyer can play at all. It is not a round figure the market invented — it is where the Central Bank’s mortgage rules push a two-income household earning about €90,000: borrow 4× gross income (€360,000), add the 10% deposit the rules expect on the first €500,000 (€40,000), and your ceiling lands at €400,000. Earn less, and the ceiling falls with you. Dublin’s official median home costs €500,000 (CSO, 12 months to June 2026), so a buyer capped at €400,000 is priced out of the middle of the market — but not out of the market. Eight postcodes and districts in the capital still carry median sale prices under €400,000, and most of them are growing faster than Dublin as a whole.
This guide is the under-€400k chapter of our best areas to buy in Dublin guide. It lists every serious sub-€400k area, runs the numbers per postcode (median, growth, transport, stock, schools), shows you what €400,000 actually buys on Daft.ie today, and walks the two things that decide whether you win: bidding discipline and the Help to Buy / First Home Scheme maths.
Why €400,000 is the first-time-buyer ceiling in 2026
Two Central Bank rules set the ceiling, and the first binds before the second (Central Bank mortgage measures; Central Bank explainer):
- Your mortgage is capped at 4× gross household income (first-time buyers; 3.5× for anyone who has bought before). A couple earning €90,000 combined can borrow €360,000 — full stop.
- You need a deposit of 10% of the price on the first €500,000 (then 20% above that). On a €400,000 home that is €40,000 cash before fees.
Worked backwards: €360,000 of mortgage ÷ 90% loan-to-value = €400,000 maximum price. That is the maths behind every table below — and why “houses for sale under €400k in Dublin” and “affordable houses in Dublin 2026” are exactly the searches a first-time buyer runs.
| Gross household income | Max mortgage (4×) | Max price at 90% LTV |
|---|---|---|
| €70,000 | €280,000 | ~€311,000 |
| €80,000 | €320,000 | ~€355,000 |
| €90,000 | €360,000 | ~€400,000 |
| €100,000 | €400,000 | ~€444,000 (below the €500k deposit breakpoint, so the 10% rule still applies) |
Author calculations under current Central Bank limits. The stress test adds a further filter: lenders must prove you could still pay at their standard variable rate plus 2%, so a couple stretched to the 4× limit will be tested harder than the headline rate suggests (CCPC). Full worked examples are in our deposit and mortgage guide for first-time buyers.
Why does this matter more in 2026 than in previous years? Because the gap between the €400k ceiling and the Dublin median is widening, not narrowing. Official Dublin prices rose 4.6% in the year to June 2026 to a €500,000 regional median (€480,000 in Dublin city), against €396,000 nationally (CSO RPPI, June 2026). First-time buyers are 40.4% of all Irish purchases in that window (CSO) — the market’s dominant buyer — and the affordable districts below are exactly where that demand concentrates, because they are the only places the 4× rule still works.
One honest caveat before the tables: median ≠ asking. The sale-price medians below record what homes actually sold for (Property Price Register data). Listings today ask more — in some areas dramatically more, because the homes that come to market are the upgraded ones. Every deep-dive below carries both numbers, because both matter: the median tells you the market’s centre of gravity, the asking prices tell you what you will actually bid on.
The 8 postcodes with medians under €400,000
| Area | Median sale price* | 1-yr growth* | Registered-rent gross yield** | The one-line read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D10 Ballyfermot / Cherry Orchard | €226,000 | +9.9% | ~8.7% | Cheapest district median and fastest-growing in Dublin — older stock, real yield |
| D11 Finglas / Ballymun | €246,000 | +8.4% | ~8.4% | Sub-€250k entry with the MetroLink corridor building underneath it |
| D12 Drimnagh / Crumlin | €324,000 | +8.4% | ~6.1% | The FTB sweet spot: proper houses 3–4 km from the centre, mid-market’s strongest growth |
| D22 (Clondalkin district) | €310,000 | ~7.2% | n/a | The wider D22 postcode around Clondalkin; big estate stock, deep supply |
| D24 (Tallaght district) | €280,000 | ~7.0% | n/a | The Luas-terminus district: new and old stock from the mid-€200s |
| Lucan (K78) | €340,000 | n/a (county +7.4%) | n/a | The west’s family-workhorse suburb; the deepest 3/4-bed supply in this list |
| Clondalkin (town) | €290,000 | n/a | n/a | Town-centre and estate stock inside D22 — see the D22 deep-dive below |
| Tallaght (town) | €300,000 | n/a | n/a | The town core inside D24 — see the D24 deep-dive below |
Median sale prices and growth: PPR-based district/area series (Dublish, 2026 — data current to March 2026) (Dublin house prices by area). Growth for Lucan/Clondalkin/Tallaght town rows is not separately published on that series; the South Dublin county-level median of €315,000 grew +7.4% (same source). Gross yields divide RTB-registered rents by PPR sold prices (registered-rent basis, March 2026) (Dublin rental yields by area); towns without a published district figure show n/a, not zero.
A note on D22/Clondalkin and D24/Tallaght. Dublin 22 eircodes are Clondalkin, and Dublin 24 eircodes are Tallaght — the pairs overlap, and the medians differ because they slice the same geography differently: the D22 and D24 rows cover the whole postal district (village, estates and new developments combined), while the Clondalkin and Tallaght rows are the town-area figures from the same research deck that supplied this guide’s medians. Either way, the buyer-facing answer is identical: every one of these eight is under €400,000, and the deep-dives below cover each district and its town pair side by side.
How to read the table: median sold price is what people actually paid (it lags the market by registration time); asking price is what sellers hope to get today — Dublin homes typically sell about 5–8% above original asking (market-wide estimate), and roughly 10% above under €500,000 (agency 2025 books) (Investropa); so an asking price is a floor, not a ceiling. In a market where bidding runs ~10% over asking, a €400,000 budget realistically targets homes listed near €360,000 — view below your ceiling, as every section below assumes.
Deep-dive: what each area actually offers
1. Dublin 10 — Ballyfermot & Cherry Orchard (median €226,000)
The numbers: Dublin 10 is the cheapest district median in the city at €226,000, the fastest-growing at +9.9% a year, and the highest-yielding mainstream district at ~8.7% gross on the registered-rent basis (Dublish — prices; Dublish — yields). Live asking prices run well above the sold median: €319,000 median asking across 29 Ballyfermot listings on 5 September 2026, with 3-bed houses asking a median of about €317,500 (Daft — Ballyfermot). The gap is the stock story: D10’s sold median includes original-condition 1950s terraces and apartments, while today’s listings skew renovated.
Stock & character: 1950s–60s Corporation-built terraces and semis wrapped around Ballyfermot’s main street, with Cherry Orchard and the newer estates to the west. More original-condition stock survives here than in D12 — which is why prices are lower and why budget matters: an unrenovated 3-bed at €260k–€300k plus €40–60k of works can undercut an upgraded one at €350k+.
Transport: bus to the centre in roughly 20–30 minutes at peak (estimate — check TFI for your address); the Luas Red Line at Kylemore and Blackhorse sits on the district’s southern edge, a bus hop or long walk from much of Ballyfermot. No rail in the district itself.
Schools & green space: mature primary stock and a solid secondary base — verify individual schools via the Department of Education’s Find a School before buying. Green space is local rather than grand: Markievicz Park and the Cherry Orchard playing fields serve the district; Phoenix Park and the Grand Canal are a short bus ride.
FTB verdict: the purest entry price in Dublin — but buy it for the yield-and-growth maths and the proximity to the city, not for village charm. The mortgage ceiling is a non-issue here: even a single buyer on ~€55k can borrow €220k and clear the median. The honest catches are older stock (budget for BER and heating upgrades) and streets that vary block to block — view at 5pm on a school night.
2. Dublin 11 — Finglas & Ballymun (median €246,000)
The numbers: the D11 district (Finglas plus Ballymun) carries a €246,000 median, +8.4% growth and ~8.4% gross yield (Dublish; Dublish — yields). Live asking on the Finglas/Ballymun side ran €330,000 median across 53 Ballymun-area listings on 5 September 2026, with a 4-bed house asking a median of about €395,000 (Daft — Ballymun). The gap between the €246k sold median and today’s asking is widest at the bottom of the district — D11’s sale medians are dragged down by apartment-heavy blocks and original terraces, while the family houses you will actually bid on list nearer €265k–€395k.
Stock & character: three very different markets under one postcode — Finglas village’s 1930s–60s estates (Hampton Wood, St Margaret’s Road), Ballymun’s regenerated private stock built since the towers fell, and apartment blocks near the old town centre. The district median hides that spread; buy street by street.
Transport: this is the corridor with the biggest 2030s upside in the guide. MetroLink will run two stops through the district (Ballymun and Northwood), its Railway Order operative since January 2026 and construction targeted from August 2027 — but treat that as upside, not today’s commute (Dublish district guide; Wikipedia — MetroLink). Today it is buses: the Ballymun/Finglas-to-city BusConnects Core Bus Corridor contract was signed December 2025 with works running through 2026, and a Luas line to Finglas remains a proposal (BusConnects). Peak buses to the centre run about 25–40 minutes (estimate).
Schools & green space: a solid, parish-anchored school stock — use Find a School and read each school’s admissions notice before paying any “catchment” premium (there is no official catchment map). Green space: the Tolka valley parks and Glasnevin’s Botanic Gardens are on the district edge; Phoenix Park is a 15–20-minute bus/cycle away.
FTB verdict: the sub-€250k district with a transport pipeline — the closest thing this guide has to a “buy the upgrade before it prices in” option. Two cautions: parts of Ballymun remain socially-tenure-heavy with thin private stock (check tenure mix street by street), and the best houses in Finglas’s inner estates already list at €350k–€400k, so the €246k median is not what you will bid on.
3. Dublin 12 — Drimnagh & Crumlin (median €324,000)
The numbers: D12’s €324,000 median grows at +8.4% — joint-fastest in the city — with a ~6.1% gross yield (Dublish; Dublish — yields). Asking prices on 5 September 2026: €399,950 median across 43 Drimnagh listings and €424,950 across 106 Crumlin listings (Daft — Drimnagh; Daft — Crumlin). This is the biggest asking-vs-sold gap in the guide — D12’s median includes apartments and unrenovated terraces, while the market’s listings are mostly the upgraded, extended homes that trigger bidding wars. Full district analysis: our Drimnagh & Crumlin (Dublin 12) house-price guide.
Stock & character: 1930s–40s red-brick terraces and semis 3.5–4.6 km from the centre, built for Dublin Corporation workers and wrapped around Drimnagh and Crumlin villages. The classic FTB formula: buy an unrenovated 3-bed terrace at €350k–€370k asking, spend two years improving it, and hold the best-located land in the sub-€400k market.
Transport: D12’s quiet superpower. The Luas Red Line runs along Drimnagh’s northern edge — Drimnagh, Goldenbridge, Blackhorse and Suir Road stops — west to Tallaght/Saggart and east through Heuston to the city centre and the Docklands; BusConnects routes (82, 122, 150, 151, F3) criss-cross the district (TFI). Plan 15–25 minutes door-to-door at peak (estimate).
Schools & green space: among the densest mature school stock of the eight — verify per school (Find a School). Green space is pocket-sized (Drimnagh Castle Park, the old Crumlin village greens, playing fields) with the Grand Canal and Phoenix Park reachable by Luas or bike.
FTB verdict: this guide’s default answer for a two-income FTB — the best combination of city proximity, house type, growth and a mortgage a couple on €80k–€90k can actually get approved for. The catch is competition: D12 homes under €400k asking are fought over, and the median asking price in Crumlin has pushed past the €400k ceiling — search the unrenovated end of Drimnagh and Crumlin’s Kells Road/Kildare Road terraces, and be ready to bid.
4. Dublin 22 — the Clondalkin district (median €310,000)
Dublin 22 eircodes are Clondalkin, so the next two sections describe the same geography at two levels of the same data series — the wider D22 district first, the Clondalkin town area second. Both are sub-€400k; read them as one corridor.
The numbers: the D22 district around Clondalkin carries a €310,000 median, with growth of about 7.2% a year on the PPR-based district series (Dublish). Live asking in the town-area market below runs €337,000 median across 134 Clondalkin listings on 5 September 2026 (Daft — Clondalkin). The district median undercuts D12’s by about €14,000 — and Clondalkin’s town-area figure undercuts it by €34,000 — for broadly comparable 3-bed estate stock.
Stock & character (district level): the D22 postcode sweeps from the Naas Road corridor in the east (Park West, the business parks) through Clondalkin’s established estates to the newer developments at Seven Mills and Grange Castle in the west. Supply depth is the district’s calling card: 134 live listings makes it the second-deepest market in this guide, and deep supply means choice — and calmer bidding than D12.
Transport (district level): no rail or Luas through the district itself. The Kildare line stations at Kishoge and Adamstown serve the southern and western edges (commuter rail to Heuston and the Docklands); the Luas Red Line’s Tallaght and Saggart branches are reachable by bus or drive; bus to the centre runs roughly 30–45 minutes at peak (estimate). The BusConnects Liffey Valley-to-city corridor under construction is the medium-term upgrade.
FTB verdict (district): the value play for buyers who want house-and-garden stock and don’t need to be in the city in under 30 minutes. Best value sits in the established 1990s–2000s estates within walking distance of the village and canal, and — for scheme-eligible buyers — in the new stock at Seven Mills.
5. Clondalkin town (median €290,000)
The numbers: the Clondalkin town-area figure reads €290,000 — the lower end of the D22 corridor, where the older town-core and estate stock trades (Dublish district series). On the asking side, the same 134-listing market shows a €337,000 median, with 3-bed houses asking a median of about €365,000 and 2-bed apartments around €265,000 (Daft — Clondalkin).
Stock & character: the real estate is the village — round tower, canal, medieval core — wrapped in a deep ring of estates: Castlegrange, Saint John’s, Woodford, Monksfield and their neighbours. These are the streets where the €290k–€365k examples in the listings table below live: 3-bed estate houses 10–15 minutes’ walk from the village, most built between the 1970s and the 2000s. New development at Seven Mills and along the Naas Road corridor adds scheme-eligible stock at the top of the band.
Schools & green space: strong local provision around the village and the newer estates — verify individually, admissions policy first (Find a School). Green space is genuinely good: Corkagh Park, one of west Dublin’s best municipal parks, and the Grand Canal greenway are both within easy reach of the village.
FTB verdict (town): the walkable-village version of the D22 play — you trade a few minutes’ extra commute for actual village amenity and the corridor’s cheapest 3-bed houses. Target the estate streets closest to the village and canal; check tenure mix and BER street by street, as estate stock varies.
6. Dublin 24 — the Tallaght district (median €280,000)
Dublin 24 eircodes are Tallaght — the district section below covers the whole postcode; the Tallaght town section that follows zooms into the town core.
The numbers: the D24 district carries a €280,000 median, with growth of about 7.0% a year on the PPR-based district series (Dublish). Live asking in the town-area market below runs €375,000 median across 150 Tallaght listings on 5 September 2026 — the biggest market in this guide (Daft — Tallaght). The sold median reflects the older-stock end of the district; budget for the reality that the houses you’ll actually want list at €330k–€400k.
Stock & character (district level): the full spectrum — 1970s–80s estates (Tymonville, Bancroft, Kiltipper), regeneration-era housing, and a heavy pipeline of new homes across the district’s western edge (Fortunestown and the Citywest-adjacent developments) where the state schemes bite hardest. The district is the most self-contained of the eight: The Square, the county library and TU Dublin’s Tallaght campus make a genuine town centre.
Transport (district level): the Luas Red Line terminates in Tallaght — the tram puts the city centre about 40–45 minutes away at peak (estimate), with bus corridors filling the gaps. For an outer suburb that is a genuine rail anchor; only D12 matches it in this guide.
Schools & green space (district): the largest school stock of the eight by volume — Tallaght’s secondaries are numerous and oversubscribed in places, so read admissions notices, not folklore (Find a School). Green space is a genuine asset: Tymon Park, the big south-west Dublin parkland along the district’s eastern edge, and Sean Walsh Park anchor family life.
FTB verdict (district): the best area in the guide for new-build FTBs — the one place where Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme apply at scale (see the schemes section below). Second-hand buyers get the deepest stock choice in Dublin under €400k, with the caveat that the most competitive 3-bed estate houses already ask at the ceiling.
7. Tallaght town (median €300,000)
The numbers: the Tallaght town-area figure reads €300,000 on the same series — the town core and its mature estate ring, slightly above the all-in D24 district median because the district also sweeps in older and smaller stock (Dublish district series). Asking prices make the gap to the median obvious: €375,000 median across 150 listings, with 3-bed houses asking a median of about €400,000, 2-bed apartments around €275,000 and 1-beds €245,000 (Daft — Tallaght).
Stock & character: the town-core market — Tymonville, Bancroft, Kiltipper, Kilnamanagh and the estates that ring the Luas terminus — where a €300k–€400k budget buys 2/3-bed houses of every vintage, plus new homes from the mid-€200s further west. If your priority is a Luas-served 3-bed under €400k with the deepest choice in Dublin, this is the market to watch.
FTB verdict (town): same verdict as the district, with one extra wrinkle: the median 3-bed asking price in Tallaght is now ~€400,000, so the practical entry for a family house sits at the very top of the €400k ceiling — view the older-estate 3-beds listed €330k–€370k and expect to bid.
8. Lucan (K78) — median €340,000
The numbers: Lucan sits at €340,000 (September 2026 area series used in our family-area research). Live asking is a different story: €445,000 median across 114 Lucan listings on 5 September 2026 — the highest asking median in this guide — with 3-bed houses asking a median of about €469,000 and 4-beds €597,500 (Daft — Lucan). The sold median is dragged down by the town’s deep stock of older 2-bed terraces and apartments; the family houses the town is famous for have largely moved past €400k asking. What still fits under €400k: 2-bed houses (~€362,500 median asking), 3-bed duplexes (~€375,000), apartments (~€320,000), and 3-bed homes on the Adamstown side.
Stock & character: the west’s family-workhorse suburb — more 3/4-bed homes built in and around Lucan since the 1990s than almost anywhere else in Dublin, with village charm along the Liffey at Lucan village. Schools are the draw for families: Lucan Community College and Coláiste Phádraig CBS anchor the town’s strong secondary provision (see our family-areas guide for the school-verification method).
Transport: no rail station in the town itself — the nearest is Adamstown on the Kildare line, a short drive south, serving much of the new Adamstown/Lucan-edge stock. Bus to the city runs about 35–50 minutes at peak (estimate) — which is exactly why the BusConnects Liffey Valley-to-city corridor, under construction since September 2025, matters for the town’s medium-term pricing.
Green space: riverside amenity along the Liffey at Lucan Demesne, with Castletown demesne a short drive; no big municipal park inside the town.
FTB verdict: the one to pick if “3/4-bed family house under €400k” is non-negotiable and you can accept the commute — but be precise: in 2026 that means the Adamstown/Lucan-edge estate stock, older 3-beds needing work, or a duplex, not the upgraded 4-bed estate homes the town is known for. New homes at Adamstown (from ~€370k) keep Lucan genuinely relevant to scheme-eligible FTBs — see below.
What €400,000 actually buys: live Daft listings (5 September 2026)
The examples below were live on Daft.ie on 5 September 2026 and are representative of what a €400,000 ceiling — and realistically a €360,000 asking target once ~10% bidding is priced in — reaches in each area.
| Area | Live example (asking price, 5 Sep 2026) | Type it points to |
|---|---|---|
| D10 Ballyfermot | 24 Claddagh Green — €295,000 · 106 Thomond Road — €345,000 · 139 Blackditch Road — €350,000 · 224 Le Fanu Road — €385,000 (Daft) | Original-condition and renovated 3-bed terraces; your €400k goes furthest here |
| D11 Finglas / Ballymun | 51 Hampton Wood Green, Finglas — €265,000 · 10 Sandyhill Way, Ballymun — €375,000 · 54 St Margaret’s Road, Finglas — €395,000 (Daft) | 3-bed estate houses and Ballymun regeneration stock |
| D12 Drimnagh / Crumlin | 430 Mourne Road, Drimnagh — €349,950 · 22 Carrow Road, Drimnagh — €360,000 · 192 Kildare Road, Crumlin — €329,000 · 28 Clogher Road, Crumlin (extended) — €395,000 (Daft — Drimnagh; Daft — Crumlin) | Unrenovated and mid-grade 1930s–40s terraces; the upgraded ones list over your ceiling |
| D22 / Clondalkin | 63 James Connolly Park — €329,000 · 107 Saint John’s Crescent — €315,000 · 85 Cherrywood Grove — €359,000 · 6 Castlegrange Green — €365,000 (Daft) | Estate 3-beds within walking distance of the village and Corkagh Park |
| D24 / Tallaght | 17 Kiltipper Gate — €275,000 · 9 Sundale Parade — €315,000 · 19 Tymonville Avenue — €325,000 · 3 Ellensborough Lodge — €285,000 (Daft) | 2/3-bed houses across the older estates; new homes from the mid-€200s further west |
| Lucan / Adamstown | Avenlea, Adamstown (new) — from €370,000 · 32 Stratton Grove, Adamstown — €365,000 · 13 The Paddock Square, Adamstown — €395,000 (Daft) | Sub-€400k here is Adamstown/Lucan-edge 3-beds, duplexes and new homes — not Lucan’s upgraded 4-beds |
The pattern across all eight: your €400,000 ceiling reliably buys a 2/3-bed house in D10, D11, D22 and D24, a mid-grade or unrenovated terrace in D12, and the Adamstown-edge/duplex end of Lucan — always provided you view homes listed at or below ~€360,000, because bidding will do the rest.
The comparison table: commute, schools and green space
| Area | Median sold | Median asking (5 Sep) | Commute to centre at peak (est.) | School stock | Green space | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D10 Ballyfermot | €226,000 | €319,000 | 20–30 min bus; Red Line on edge | Mature — verify per school | Markievicz Park; local pitches; Phoenix Park a short bus | Cheapest entry; yield; investors |
| D11 Finglas/Ballymun | €246,000 | €330,000 | 25–40 min bus; MetroLink + BusConnects coming | Mature — verify per school | Tolka parks; Botanic Gardens nearby | Transport-pipeline upside; sub-€250k entry |
| D12 Drimnagh/Crumlin | €324,000 | €399,950–€424,950 | 15–25 min bus/Luas Red | Dense and mature | Pocket parks; canal & Phoenix Park by Luas/bike | City-proximate 3-beds; growth |
| D22/Clondalkin | €310,000 (town €290,000) | €337,000 | 30–45 min bus; rail at Kishoge/Adamstown | Good — verify per school | Corkagh Park; Grand Canal | Space per euro; calmer bidding |
| D24/Tallaght | €280,000 (town €300,000) | €375,000 | 40–45 min Luas Red; buses | Deepest volume — oversubscribed spots | Tymon Park; Sean Walsh Park | New-build schemes; stock depth |
| Lucan | €340,000 | €445,000 | 35–50 min bus; rail at Adamstown | Strong secondaries | Liffey at Lucan Demesne; Castletown nearby | Family 3/4-bed stock (Adamstown edge under €400k) |
School ratings are indicative, not measured — Ireland has no official school rankings or statutory catchments; the only honest check is each school’s admissions policy and annual notice via the Department of Education’s Find a School. Commute times are estimates for the 08:00–09:00 peak — run your exact journey on the TFI planner before committing. Medians and asking prices as dated above.
Bidding strategy: expect ~10% over asking under €500,000
Everything above assumes you will not pay asking — because under €500,000 you usually won’t. Dublin homes in that bracket sold roughly 10% above asking in one agency’s 2025 books (agency data; market-wide asking-to-selling gaps run 5–8%) (Investropa). The practical consequences for a €400,000 ceiling:
- Set your filter at ~€360,000. If bidding runs ~10%, a home listed at €360,000 realistically closes near €396,000. Search below your ceiling or you will be priced out by your own bid.
- Agree your maximum before the bidding window opens — in writing, with your partner if you have one. Private-treaty bidding is emotional by design; your number should not move because someone else’s did.
- Know which homes will not go over. New builds and “fixed price/no bidding” listings (rare but real — see the Santry Cross example above) sell at the sticker. Everything else under €500k is a bidding war in waiting.
- Your bid is the price plus fees. On a €400,000 purchase, stamp duty (1%), solicitor and survey fees add roughly €6,000–€8,000 on top of the €40,000 deposit (category buying guide). The ceiling includes those.
- Get approval in principle first. A seller’s agent will not take a bid seriously without it, and the 4× income cap is the real constraint on your ceiling — run the full sequence in our deposit and mortgage guide, then grab the free 12-point FTB Before-You-Bid Checklist at the bottom of this page before you view.
Schemes that change the maths: Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme
Both big state schemes are new-build only — and of the eight areas in this guide, the new-build action is concentrated in D24/Tallaght (Fortunestown and the western edge), D22/Clondalkin (Seven Mills and the Naas Road corridor) and Lucan/Adamstown. The rules in brief (verified 5 September 2026; they change at Budget time — Budget 2027 lands 6 October, so re-check before you commit; full detail in our Help to Buy vs First Home Scheme guide):
| Help to Buy (HTB) | First Home Scheme (FHS) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Refund of income tax + DIRT you already paid, toward your deposit | Shared equity: the State and banks pay part of the price for a stake |
| Property type | New build or self-build only — never second-hand | New build in a private development (or self-build); second-hand only via Tenant Home Purchase |
| Max support | Lower of €30,000, 10% of price, or tax paid in the prior 4 years | Up to 30% of price (20% if also using HTB) |
| Key rules | 70% loan-to-value minimum mortgage; Revenue-approved contractor; live in it 5 years | No income cap; borrow the maximum available; minimum 10% deposit; Dublin price ceiling €500,000 (FirstHomeScheme.ie; Citizens Information) |
Why this matters for the €400k buyer: on a €380,000 new build in Tallaght, Adamstown or Clondalkin, HTB can refund up to €30,000 (10% of €380,000 is €38,000, so the €30,000 cap binds for most) — and if you also use FHS, the scheme tops up a further 20% (€76,000) in exchange for a stake you can buy back later. Stacked, that can cut the mortgage a couple needs from €342,000 to roughly €266,000 — inside the 4× limit for a household earning ~€67k rather than ~€86k (author calculations; illustrative). The catch is the trade-off: HTB/FHS mean buying a new build, and in this price band new builds cluster in exactly the three areas above. For the second-hand terraces of D10, D11 and D12 — where most of this guide’s listings live — the schemes do not apply; your deposit is your deposit. (Verified against Revenue and FirstHomeScheme.ie on 5 September 2026 — see our full scheme guide for the stacking rules that catch people out.)
Frequently asked questions
Are there really houses for sale under €400,000 in Dublin in 2026?
Yes — in quantity, if you look in the right postcodes. Eight areas carry median sale prices under €400,000 (D10 €226k, D11 €246k, D24 €280k, Clondalkin €290k, Tallaght €300k, D22 €310k, D12 €324k, Lucan €340k), and Daft.ie held 500-plus live listings across Ballyfermot, Finglas/Ballymun, Drimnagh/Crumlin, Clondalkin, Tallaght and Lucan on 5 September 2026. The median Dublin home costs €500,000 — the sub-€400k market is the western and north-western ring of the city, not the centre.
Which are the cheapest areas to buy a house in Dublin?
By district median: Dublin 10 Ballyfermot (€226,000), then Dublin 11 Finglas/Ballymun (€246,000), then Dublin 24/Tallaght (€280,000). Growth runs hottest at exactly that end: D10 +9.9%, D11 +8.4% a year — the cheaper the area, the faster it is appreciating.
Can a couple earning €80,000 buy a €400,000 house in Dublin?
Not quite at the top of the range. At 4× income they can borrow €320,000, which with a 10% deposit reaches about €355,000. €400,000 needs roughly €90,000 of gross household income (€360,000 mortgage ÷ 90% LTV). That is why the areas below ~€350,000 matter: they are the ones where a couple on ordinary Dublin salaries clears the median without a scheme.
Why do homes under €500,000 sell for ~10% above asking?
Supply and the bidding system. Most Dublin homes sell by private treaty: the agent sets an asking price to generate interest, then runs a bidding window. Under €500,000 — where first-time-buyer demand concentrates — competition routinely pushes the final price ~10% over asking (one agency’s 2025 books; market-wide gaps run 5–8%). The defence is to view homes listed ~10% below your ceiling and set a hard maximum before the window opens.
Can I use Help to Buy or the First Home Scheme on a second-hand house under €400k?
No — both schemes are for new builds only (HTB: new build or self-build; FHS: new build in a private development, with one narrow second-hand route via Tenant Home Purchase). In the under-€400k band, the scheme-eligible new stock is concentrated in D24/Tallaght, D22/Clondalkin and Lucan/Adamstown; the terraces of D10, D11 and D12 are bought with savings and mortgage alone.
Is it cheaper to buy in Clondalkin or Tallaght in 2026?
On the numbers, Clondalkin’s asking market is the cheaper of the two (median asking €337,000 vs Tallaght’s €375,000 on 5 September 2026), while Tallaght has the rail (Luas Red Line terminus) and the deepest new-build pipeline. Tallaght’s sold median (€280k district) is lower than D22’s (€310k) because its older-stock estates still trade cheaply. Pick on commute and stock type, not on the headline alone.
Bottom line
A €400,000 budget in Dublin in 2026 is not a consolation prize — it is a strategy. The eight areas above split into three honest choices: D10, D11 and D12 for buyers who want the city close and are happy in (or willing to renovate) mature 1930s–60s stock, with the strongest growth and, in D12’s case, real Luas access; D22/Clondalkin and D24/Tallaght for buyers who want space per euro, deeper supply, and — in Tallaght’s case — the only place in this guide where the state schemes apply at scale; and Lucan for families who want the deepest 3/4-bed stock and will trade a 40–50-minute commute for it. Two rules carry across all eight: bid about 10% over asking, so view at ~€360,000 or below; and buy the area for the commute that exists today, treating MetroLink, BusConnects and DART+ upgrades as upside, not as the price you are paying. Done that way, under-€400k Dublin is a first-home market — not a compromise.
Your next steps:
- Grab the FTB Before-You-Bid Checklist — the free 12-point viewing-to-key-handover list every first-time buyer should run before they commit to any of the eight areas above.
- Book a free 15-minute buyer consultation — tell us your income, deposit and shortlist, and we will tell you which of the eight areas your ceiling actually buys in and which scheme stack applies.
- Read next: the best areas to buy in Dublin in 2026 hub, our deposit and mortgage guide, the Help to Buy vs First Home Scheme comparison, and the Drimnagh & Crumlin district deep-dive — plus the full Buying Guide archive.
This guide is part of our Dublin buying guide series for 2026. District/area medians and growth per the PPR-based series (Dublish, March 2026), re-pulled for this deck and re-verified at publish; asking prices and listing examples were live on Daft.ie on 5 September 2026. All scheme rules were verified against Revenue and FirstHomeScheme.ie on 5 September 2026; the Budget 2027 announcement (6 October) may change them.
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