Guide · Where to live
Where international families actually live in Dublin.
Six areas account for most internationally mobile families in Dublin. Each has a distinct character, a different relationship to the school map, and a trade-off nobody mentions on a viewing. Here they are, honestly.
The short answer
Choose the school, then choose the street.
Dublin is small. From the southern suburbs to the city centre is rarely more than half an hour, and the areas international families consider sit within a few kilometres of each other. That makes the choice feel low-stakes. It is not — because the school map is concentrated in the south of the city, and a family that signs a lease before securing a school place frequently ends up driving across the city twice a day for a year.
Settle the school first. Then pick from the areas within a comfortable run of it, on the basis of what your family actually wants: walkability, sea, space, or a short commute. You will not get all four.
The areas
Six shortlists, and the trade-off in each.
Dublin 4 — Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount
Embassy belt. Red-brick period houses, mature gardens, walkable to the city, and the most internationally legible address in Ireland.
- Schools:
- Close to St. Andrew's, a short run to the Lycée and Nord Anglia; several long-established Irish fee-paying schools on the doorstep.
- Commute:
- 10–20 minutes to the IFSC or Grand Canal Dock; DART and bus corridors both strong.
- Trade-off:
- The most expensive rental market in the country, and family-sized houses turn over slowly.
Dublin 6 — Ranelagh, Rathgar, Rathmines
Village high streets, Victorian houses, the highest concentration of good restaurants outside the centre. Popular with senior professionals who want to walk their children to school.
- Schools:
- International School of Dublin sits in Ranelagh; St. Kilian's is a short drive.
- Commute:
- Luas Green Line straight into the city; 15–25 minutes door to desk.
- Trade-off:
- Period houses mean period heating bills and planning constraints on extensions.
Blackrock, Monkstown and Dún Laoghaire
Coastal south county. Sea swimming, sailing, a proper town centre, and the densest cluster of established schools in Ireland.
- Schools:
- St. Andrew's is in adjoining Booterstown; strong choice of Irish fee-paying day schools.
- Commute:
- DART to the city in about 20 minutes; easy access to the Sandyford and Leopardstown corporate campuses.
- Trade-off:
- Demand from Irish families is intense, so you compete for the same houses year after year.
Dalkey and Killiney
The prestige coastal address — cliff walks, Killiney Bay, and a village that functions year-round rather than only in summer.
- Schools:
- Feeds the same south-county school network; SEK is nearby at Belvedere Hall.
- Commute:
- 30–40 minutes to the city by DART. Workable, but you feel it daily.
- Trade-off:
- Distance. Best suited to families whose work is flexible or based in south county.
Foxrock, Cabinteely and Leopardstown
Detached houses on generous sites, quiet, car-oriented, and the closest thing Dublin has to a suburban executive belt.
- Schools:
- Nord Anglia and the Lycée Français are both here — for many international families this is the deciding factor.
- Commute:
- M50 and Luas Green Line; very close to the Sandyford and Cherrywood business districts.
- Trade-off:
- Less walkable than the city villages; you will be driving.
Malahide, Howth and Sutton
North coastal. Marinas, beaches, strong village life, and noticeably better value per square metre than the southern equivalents.
- Schools:
- Sutton Park is here; the international-school options are otherwise a long cross-city drive.
- Commute:
- DART to the centre; the only side of the city genuinely close to Dublin Airport.
- Trade-off:
- If you want an IB or French-curriculum place, the school run becomes the problem.
A complimentary 30-minute call
Tell us the school and the office. We'll tell you which three areas to look at.
Outside Dublin
Cork, Galway and the case for leaving the capital.
Cork is a real second option: a genuine city, a substantial pharmaceutical and technology employer base, coastal towns like Kinsale and Cobh within easy reach, and housing that goes considerably further than the Dublin equivalent. Galway offers the best quality of life of any Irish city if your work allows it, with a smaller employment market to match.
The constraint is schooling. Neither city has an international school, so choosing them means choosing the Irish curriculum. For families settling permanently that is often entirely fine. For families who expect another posting in three years, it is the decision to think hardest about.
Checking the market yourself
The sources we use, and you can too.
- Residential Tenancies Board rent index — official average rents by area and property size.
- Residential Property Price Register — every residential sale price actually recorded, not asking prices.
- Daft.ie — the main listings market for rentals and sales.
Common questions
Where to live in Dublin — frequently asked.
- For families arriving from abroad the shortlist is consistently Dublin 4 (Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount), Dublin 6 (Ranelagh, Rathgar, Rathmines), the coastal south county belt from Blackrock through Dún Laoghaire to Dalkey, the Foxrock and Leopardstown area, and Malahide, Howth and Sutton on the north side. Which one is right is usually decided by the school, not by the area.