Ireland’s best towns for work-life balance 2026
A good balance between life and work is key to good health and well-being, so Switcher has researched house prices, internet speeds, local services, transport, green spaces and leisure to find the best Irish towns and cities to live and work.
Survey results at a glance
- Arklow tops the list for 2026, combining affordable east-coast house prices with strong transport links, good broadband and easy access to beaches and green spaces.
- East coast towns perform best overall: thanks to better connectivity and transport, though Ballina and Sligo on the west coast performed well.
- Cities offer convenience, whereas towns offer balance: Dublin and Cork excel for broadband, transport and leisure, but score lower for housing costs and green space.
- Affordability matters: Ballina, Longford and Letterkenny stood out for low house prices, while still offering solid access to schools, healthcare and amenities.
- Family-friendly and wellbeing factors count: with safe neighbourhoods, access to schools, GPs, parks and sports facilities playing a major role in the rankings.
- Remote and hybrid work are reshaping where people live: with legal rights to flexible working making it easier to choose towns based on lifestyle, not commute times
The right to request remote and flexible working is now enshrined by law in the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees, which means hybrid and remote working is here to stay.
Besides an improvement in the quality of life, a positive impact is you can now rent or buy a home to match your budget without the limitations of workplace location.
Our new Switcher.ie Work Life Balance Index (WLBI) looks at towns and cities across Ireland to find the top places to strike the perfect work-life balance.
What creates a great work-life balance?
A good work-life balance promotes good health, personal happiness and better relationships.
Reducing stressors like high housing costs, patchy internet, long commutes or school runs, while boosting things that help you feel good like spending time in nature, physical exercise or meeting up for lunch with friends can improve the quality of life.
For hybrid workers, must-haves are access to high-speed internet and reliable mobile connectivity, spaces for breaks and exercise, and proximity to essential amenities and transport networks.
If you have a family, you’ll want an affordable, safe and secure neighbourhood close to essential services like health care, schools and supermarkets.
It’s fair to say that finding a balance between your professional and personal life is key to wellbeing.
Factors we researched
Our study compared a range of factors across towns and cities with populations of over 10,500.
The Work-Life Balance Index includes:
Check out the full Work-Life Balance Index 2026 here.
Ten best towns for work-life balance
It was a close-run race for a place in our top 10 best places for work-life balance.
Many towns have lots to offer young professionals and families, even though house prices are high in many areas. Some towns we surveyed ranked highly for all sorts of factors, including access to local amenities and nearby services, to affordable housing and green spaces.
1. Arklow
A delightful commuter town with easy access to Wicklow and Dublin by road and rail. It boasts an excellent range of leisure facilities, supermarkets and schools, plus you’ve got sandy beaches and riverside walks to walk the dog or stretch your legs.
It’s one of the most affordable towns on the east coast and attracts many commuters due to its perfect mix of green spaces, local amenities, and proximity to Dublin.
Arklow, County Wicklow takes the top spot in Switcher.ie’s Work-Life Balance Index and is officially our 2026 winner.
2. Ballina
With the River Moy and Belleek Woods on its doorstep, the small town of Ballina in County Mayo offers the best of both worlds. Not only does it offer some of the cheapest housing in Ireland, but it’s also a safe place to live and has great access to health services and primary schools. For this reason, Ballina took the crown as the best place to work and raise a family.
3. Enniscorthy
Set upon the picturesque River Slaney, Enniscorthy is a major Wexford town with the best of Ireland on its doorstep. Residents enjoy easy access to both the majestic Blackstairs Mountains and the famous Curracloe coastline. One of the cheaper towns in Wexford, it serves working families well with good transport access to major towns and local amenities.
4. Wicklow
Blessed with mountains, rivers and coastline, despite the high house prices in Wicklow, the proximity to Dublin and good local services make it one of the top places for quality of life. According to the CSO 37% of the Wicklow workforce worked from home at least part of the week - higher than the national average - perhaps proof that it’s a great town to live and work.
5. Cork City
Nestled on the southwest coast, Ireland’s second-largest city has a warm, laid-back feel and a vibrant art and music scene that blends seamlessly with its rich history and culture.
The city of Cork scored well for access to leisure facilities and green spaces, and, as you’d expect, residents enjoy great telecoms and transport links. The perfect combo for work life balance.
6. Gorey
Sandwiched between Wicklow and Wexford on the east coast, it’s a lively coastal town popular with commuters and young families and perfect for hybrid working. Gorey performed well for local amenities, ranking highly for major supermarkets, cafes & cheap eats, primary schools, and green spaces. Although crime rates have recently risen, making it less safe than similar towns in the region.
7. Tramore
The seaside town of Tramore is best known for Tramore Strand, a long, sandy beach that draws holidaymakers year-round. It performed solidly across all quality of life factors, with decent scores for green spaces, supermarkets, cafes and low crime rates, making it a good all-rounder.
8. Dublin City
The energetic capital, Dublin city, unsurprisingly topped the tables for connectivity, transport links and access to sports and leisure facilities, all of which rank in the top 5. However, it didn’t fare so well for house prices, primary schools and green spaces.
All in all, a great place for young professionals to strike a perfect work-life balance, and perhaps the reason why so many flock to the city.
9. Longford
Longford is one of the cheapest towns to live in Ireland, with good access to essential amenities such as schools, GPs, and supermarkets. With mobile and full fibre connectivity, it’s an ideal place to live and work on a budget. However, the higher crime rate could make it less attractive for families.
10. Sligo
With long sandy beaches only a stones throw away, this charming yet affordable town on the northwest coast of Ireland enjoys a host of cafes and cheap eats, good access to health services and schools and decent transport links. If you’re free to work anywhere, Sligo could be a remote worker’s paradise.
Where are the best towns for work-life balance in Ireland?
Our findings indicate that east coast towns generally offer the most balanced lifestyle for those living and working in Ireland, blending a good quality of life with strong transport infrastructure and connectivity.
Notably, Longford stood out as the sole representative from the midlands, while Ballina and Sligo are the best towns in the west for a good work life balance.
Overall, Wicklow, Dublin and Mayo were the counties with the best performing towns.
Best places to keep fit and stay healthy
Working from home has lots of benefits, but it’s easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle. To stay well in mind and body, it pays to keep active and enjoy the great outdoors whenever you can.
The cities of Dublin and Cork had the best access to fitness facilities, whereas Ballina and Castlebar were tops for accessible green spaces.
Top 5 towns for leisure facilities, parks and green spaces
To find our best towns for well-being, we analysed proximity to public and community sports facilities, leisure centres, coastline, national and public parks per 1,000 people in each town.
- Galway
- Dublin City
- Wicklow
- Cork City
- Arklow
Best places to live and work with a family
Ballina has taken the top spot for the best place to live and work with a family. Not only does it offer affordable housing, but it’s also a safe place to live and has great access to health services and primary schools.
Top 5 towns for families
To calculate the best towns for family life and work balance, we summed index scores for house prices, crime rate, parks and green spaces, GP surgeries and nearby primary schools.
- Ballina
- Castlebar
- Enniscorthy
- Killarney
- Longford
Cheapest towns to live and work
Ballina was the most affordable town to buy a house in our study. House prices were taken from the Residential Property Price Index in October 2025.
Top 5 affordable towns to live and work:
- Ballina
- Longford
- Letterkenny
- Cavan
- Mallow
Safest towns to live and work
Skerries had the lowest crime rate per 1,000 people in 2024, making it the safest place to live. Garda divisions may differ from county and town boundaries in some instances.
Top 5 safest places to live and work:
- Skerries
- Cobh
- Greystones-Delgany
- Carrigaline
- Celbridge
* Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney (designated a single settlement in Census 2022) ranked first, but Garda station boundaries were uncertain
Best places to shop and eat
The top place to pop out to the shops, grab a bite to eat or catch up with friends is Killarney.
There’s a superb range of cafes if you want to pop out for a quick coffee or a cheap lunch and with a great choice of major supermarkets, the weekly shop couldn’t be easier.
Top 5 towns for shopping, cafes and cheap eats
To work out the top places to grab a quick bite we totalled all the major supermarkets in each area and counted cafes and coffee shops per 1,000 people in each town.
- Killarney
- Ballina
- Cavan
- Gorey
- Longford
Best places for hybrid working
If you’re lucky enough to have the choice to work at home or in the office, hybrid working is a great way to achieve a good work-life balance.
However, you’ll need the best of both worlds: a fast, solid internet connection and easy access to major routes or transport links for commuting.
Unsurprisingly, larger towns in and around major cities fared well for full fibre coverage, fixed broadband and 5G mobile speeds, with a similar scenario for transport links.
Here’s our top 5 based on telecoms provision and transport network distances:
Fixed and mobile broadband
- Dublin City
- Fingal towns
- Kildare towns
- Laois towns
- Cork City
Transport links
- Cork City
- Galway
- Dublin City
- Sligo
- Fingal towns
Worst places for broadband and 5G
Our research found that Ireland’s towns are well served by high-speed fibre broadband thanks to the rollout of SIRO and the National Broadband Plan (NBP). According to the Comreg Quarterly report Q3 2-25 81% of premises now have access to full fibre broadband.
While most major towns and cities are now served by full fibre, some counties fared better than others, and there may well be blackspots within certain counties. For example, some towns may experience slower internet speeds and fewer full fibre options than other towns within their county.
To gauge the quality of fixed and mobile broadband, we looked at average speeds and coverage by county using Comreg and Ookla data. The poorest performing counties were the western counties of Mayo, Donegal and Kerry.
Work-Life Balance Index 2026
| Rank | Town | Median house price | Fixed broadband speeds | Mobile speeds | Green spaces | Leisure facilities | Transport links | Cafes | Super markets | Primary schools | GP surgeries | Crime rates | Work Life Balance score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arklow | €290,000 | 166.14 | 54.70 | 0.74 | 1.17 | 0.76 | 0.27 | 0.62 | 0.40 | 0.20 | 0.65 | 6.44 |
| 2 | Ballina | €196,250 | 91.61 | 32.88 | 1.00 | 0.20 | 0.68 | 0.57 | 0.86 | 1.00 | 0.43 | 0.62 | 6.42 |
| 3 | Enniscorthy | €290,000 | 169.82 | 59.82 | 0.43 | 0.91 | 0.69 | 0.20 | 0.70 | 0.83 | 0.62 | 0.30 | 6.40 |
| 4 | Wicklow town | €420,000 | 166.14 | 54.70 | 0.77 | 1.17 | 0.76 | 0.22 | 0.42 | 0.47 | 0.33 | 0.71 | 6.13 |
| 5 | Cork City | €347,363 | 150.69 | 100.69 | 0.03 | 1.91 | 1.00 | 0.09 | 0.26 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.59 | 5.97 |
| 6 | Gorey | €350,000 | 169.82 | 59.82 | 0.46 | 0.91 | 0.69 | 0.47 | 0.76 | 0.73 | 0.11 | 0.24 | 5.93 |
| 7 | Tramore | €329,999 | 168.17 | 110.37 | 0.47 | 1.27 | 0.62 | 0.32 | 0.52 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.70 | 5.90 |
| 8 | Dublin City | €505,997 | 152.05 | 70.94 | 0.01 | 2.00 | 0.88 | 0.45 | 0.20 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.51 | 5.90 |
| 9 | Longford town | €200,000 | 114.17 | 70.24 | 0.05 | 0.49 | 0.69 | 0.21 | 0.82 | 0.77 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 5.71 |
| 10 | Sligo town | €270,000 | 139.87 | 65.89 | 0.26 | 0.89 | 0.85 | 0.48 | 0.30 | 0.27 | 0.48 | 0.49 | 5.65 |
| 11 | Killarney | €327,000 | 87.59 | 42.26 | 0.72 | 0.20 | 0.70 | 1.00 | 0.76 | 0.74 | 0.34 | 0.37 | 5.63 |
| 12 | Skerries | €569,999 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.05 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.43 | 0.00 | 0.35 | 0.12 | 0.85 | 5.62 |
| 13 | Wexford town | €305,000 | 169.82 | 59.82 | 0.25 | 0.91 | 0.69 | 0.54 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.35 | 0.46 | 5.54 |
| 14 | Midleton | €390,000 | 135.08 | 59.28 | 0.37 | 0.64 | 0.63 | 0.32 | 0.59 | 0.87 | 0.30 | 0.62 | 5.52 |
| 15 | Galway town | €398,049 | 116.28 | 51.21 | 0.14 | 1.90 | 0.98 | 0.30 | 0.17 | 0.12 | 0.22 | 0.66 | 5.42 |
| 16 | Rush | €454,000 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.05 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.05 | 0.27 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.37 | 5.40 |
| 17 | Swords | €429,100 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.02 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.11 | 0.24 | 0.07 | 0.15 | 0.57 | 5.36 |
| 18 | Athy | €299,995 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.05 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.17 | 0.26 | 0.33 | 0.19 | 0.38 | 5.32 |
| 19 | Malahide | €538,500 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.01 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.33 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.16 | 0.79 | 5.29 |
| 20 | Balbriggan | €388,000 | 166.05 | 51.96 | 0.01 | 1.41 | 0.79 | 0.07 | 0.28 | 0.30 | 0.14 | 0.59 | 5.20 |
| 21 | Tullamore | €280,000 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.00 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 0.15 | 0.03 | 0.50 | 5.20 |
| 22 | Portmarnock | €550,000 | 92.29 | 68.31 | 0.05 | 0.99 | 0.54 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 0.71 | 0.36 | 0.45 | 5.17 |
| 23 | Mallow | €259,000 | 112.35 | 31.89 | 0.05 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 0.09 | 0.28 | 0.15 | 0.12 | 0.61 | 5.17 |
| 24 | Cavan town | €243,750 | 135.08 | 59.28 | 0.03 | 0.64 | 0.63 | 0.27 | 0.61 | 0.55 | 0.44 | 0.47 | 5.17 |
| 25 | Maynooth | €475,000 | 171.75 | 98.61 | 0.04 | 0.45 | 0.62 | 0.30 | 1.00 | 0.88 | 0.58 | 0.23 | 5.12 |
| 26 | Dundalk | €329,999 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.02 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.27 | 0.42 | 0.04 | 0.18 | 0.72 | 5.07 |
| 27 | Castlebar | €265,000 | 91.61 | 32.88 | 0.80 | 0.20 | 0.68 | 0.35 | 0.64 | 0.62 | 0.33 | 0.55 | 5.05 |
| 28 | Athlone | €309,500 | 150.20 | 56.89 | 0.07 | 0.94 | 0.76 | 0.35 | 0.64 | 0.20 | 0.11 | 0.41 | 4.96 |
| 29 | Mullingar | €324,000 | 150.20 | 56.89 | 0.02 | 0.94 | 0.76 | 0.22 | 0.25 | 0.50 | 0.29 | 0.44 | 4.86 |
| 30 | Cobh | €310,000 | 135.08 | 59.28 | 0.40 | 0.64 | 0.63 | 0.28 | 0.36 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 0.84 | 4.85 |
| 31 | Waterford town | €305,000 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.12 | 1.27 | 0.62 | 0.13 | 0.22 | 0.11 | 0.17 | 0.50 | 4.83 |
| 32 | Leixlip | €475,000 | 152.05 | 70.94 | 0.05 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.12 | 0.28 | 0.79 | 4.83 |
| 33 | Drogheda | €375,000 | 166.05 | 51.96 | 0.03 | 1.41 | 0.79 | 0.12 | 0.33 | 0.10 | 0.19 | 0.45 | 4.78 |
| 34 | Carlow town | €285,000 | 136.89 | 68.31 | 0.01 | 1.08 | 0.71 | 0.16 | 0.38 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.58 | 4.73 |
| 35 | Greystones-Delgany | €545,000 | 166.14 | 54.70 | 0.46 | 1.17 | 0.76 | 0.23 | 0.13 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.84 | 4.71 |
| 36 | Newbridge | €440,000 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.02 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.11 | 0.21 | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 4.68 |
| 37 | Portlaoise | €310,000 | 171.13 | 59.70 | 0.02 | 0.98 | 0.80 | 0.14 | 0.36 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.33 | 4.67 |
| 38 | Celbridge | €475,000 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.01 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.06 | 0.16 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.81 | 4.66 |
| 39 | Naas | €435,500 | 166.14 | 54.70 | 0.03 | 1.28 | 0.76 | 0.23 | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.24 | 0.15 | 4.59 |
| 40 | Bray | €550,000 | 198.11 | 60.55 | 0.32 | 1.17 | 0.76 | 0.26 | 0.26 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.68 | 4.59 |
| 41 | Clonmel | €275,000 | 139.50 | 51.26 | 0.04 | 0.89 | 0.50 | 0.27 | 0.54 | 0.32 | 0.12 | 0.47 | 4.58 |
| 42 | Ennis | €308,500 | 129.94 | 42.64 | 0.37 | 0.66 | 0.75 | 0.19 | 0.26 | 0.45 | 0.19 | 0.53 | 4.56 |
| 43 | Laytown-BMD | €375,000 | 141.35 | 55.49 | 0.02 | 1.10 | 0.74 | 0.03 | 0.30 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 4.43 |
| 44 | Ashbourne | €452,000 | 141.35 | 55.49 | 0.02 | 1.10 | 0.74 | 0.14 | 0.49 | 0.19 | 0.15 | 0.57 | 4.43 |
| 45 | Kilkenny town | €349,265 | 109.06 | 51.60 | 0.05 | 0.89 | 0.56 | 0.50 | 0.27 | 0.31 | 0.37 | 0.45 | 4.42 |
| 46 | Limerick town | €350,500 | 119.71 | 83.07 | 0.03 | 1.10 | 0.78 | 0.04 | 0.19 | 0.12 | 0.29 | 0.38 | 4.41 |
| 47 | Navan | €365,000 | 141.35 | 55.49 | 0.02 | 1.10 | 0.74 | 0.05 | 0.17 | 0.24 | 0.11 | 0.52 | 4.21 |
| 48 | Carrigaline | €420,000 | 135.08 | 59.28 | 0.27 | 0.64 | 0.63 | 0.04 | 0.21 | 0.06 | 0.25 | 0.84 | 4.04 |
| 49 | Tralee | €270,000 | 87.59 | 42.26 | 0.40 | 0.20 | 0.70 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.30 | 0.38 | 3.84 |
| 50 | Letterkenny | €207,500 | 128.04 | 30.22 | 0.47 | 0.43 | 0.00 | 0.34 | 0.25 | 0.47 | 0.11 | 0.40 | 3.73 |
*Note: house price and broadband speeds are shown as raw figures. Green spaces, leisure facilities, transport links , cafes, supermarkets, primary schools, GP surgeries and crime rates are shown ‘normalised scores’ for ranking. Leisure facilities are pools and gyms combined, so the score totals 0 to 2.
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Methodology and sources
Methodology
We analysed and scored a series of factors to calculate the best towns for work-life balance. The metrics included:
- House prices
- Fixed broadband speeds
- 4G & 5G mobile speeds
- Number of public parks and access to coastline and national parks
- Number of cafes
- Number of major supermarkets
- Number of primary schools
- Number of GP surgeries
- Crime figures
- Distance to leisure centre with pool and outdoor sports facilities
- Distance to major roads and bus stops
To create the index, we calculated:
- the number of cafes and coffee shops, major supermarkets, public parks, primary schools and GP surgeries per 1,000 population in each town. The data was then normalised.
- median 5G mobile and fixed broadband speeds, distances to major roads and bus stops and sports and leisure facilities were collated for each county or city and attributed to the corresponding town. The data was then normalised.
- house prices were collated by RPPI region and crime rates by Garda station and attributed to the corresponding town. The data was then normalised.
The Work-Life Balance Index score was derived by ‘normalising’ the data categories using the min-max method from 0 to 1.
For example, the counties with the most amenities per 1000 scored closest to 1 and the least facilities closest to 0. The most affordable homes, the highest broadband speeds, and the lowest crime rates and distances to amenities and green spaces scored closest to 1.
The normalisation scores were then summed and ranked to create the Work Life Balance Index.
The data was collected and analysed in December and January 2026.
Sources
* Town or City population: F1015, Population, Census 2022 CSO.ie. Top 50 largest Irish urban agglomerations and census towns. * House prices: HPM07, 12 month rolling average median in October 2025, CSO.ie. * FTTP and cable coverage by county: Comreg Quarterly Key Data Report Q3 2025. * Fixed broadband and mobile speeds: Ookla.com. January to June (H1 2025). * Number of GPs per county: GP workforce, Irish College of GPs, Table 1 * Number of supermarkets per town: Google maps - tagged as Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Dunnes or SuperValu and store locator.ie (AI tools assisted). Based on counts from publicly available data and may vary slightly depending on the boundary of “town”. * Number of GPs in a town/city: HSE, Find a GP service * Number of cafes per town: TripAdvisor - tagged Coffee & Tea, Cafe or Quick bites * Number of green spaces: Google maps - tagged as public parks and gardens (AI tools assisted). Counties with a designated National Park and counties with over 60km of coastline (as per Heritage Council) were weighted. * Distance to leisure centres/swimming pool and outdoor sports facilities: MDS02, Average Distance of Residential Dwellings to Selected Services and Infrastructure, 2019 CSO.ie * Distance to primary or secondary road network and public bus stop: MDS02, Average Distance of Residential Dwellings to Selected Services and Infrastructure, 2019 CSO.ie * Crime data: CJA07, Recorded crime incidences by Garda Station, 2024, CSO.ie. Divisions mapped to town by Garda station, so boundaries may have discrepancies. Last updated 26/09/2025
