Moving Out Of Dublin

Panic Stations

I was in Donegal last week and was with friends up there and couldn't get over the price they were paying for rent on a house that's bigger and nicer than ours here in Dublin.

Literally paying 40% off what we're paying.

I started looking into house prices around the area and it's crazy what you can get for the money in comparison to Dublin. I know this isn't anything new but really opened my eyes a little.

It's really made me think about relocating elsewhere in Ireland and get a house with smaller mortgage repayments.

Has anyone else done the same and if so how do you feel about your decision in terms of finances and quality of life?

brisan

Panic Stations wrote: »

I was in Donegal last week and was with friends up there and couldn't get over the price they were paying for rent on a house that's bigger and nicer than ours here in Dublin.

Literally paying 40% off what we're paying.

I started looking into house prices around the area and it's crazy what you can get for the money in comparison to Dublin. I know this isn't anything new but really opened my eyes a little.

It's really made me think about relocating elsewhere in Ireland and get a house with smaller mortgage repayments.

Has anyone else done the same and if so how do you feel about your decision in terms of finances and quality of life?

Will you get work in Donegal
If you are WFH will that continue till you retire ?
If WFH will you have to go to the office once or twice a week
If it works for you go for it

circular flexing

brisan wrote: »

Will you get work in Donegal
If you are WFH will that continue till you retire ?
If WFH will you have to go to the office once or twice a week
If it works for you go for it

100% this. The other thing to think about is while WFH might be allowed in your current job, if you decide to change jobs you might be more limited. Not all companies are going to 100% WFH forever.

brisan

Panic Stations wrote: »

I was in Donegal last week and was with friends up there and couldn't get over the price they were paying for rent on a house that's bigger and nicer than ours here in Dublin.

Literally paying 40% off what we're paying.

I started looking into house prices around the area and it's crazy what you can get for the money in comparison to Dublin. I know this isn't anything new but really opened my eyes a little.

It's really made me think about relocating elsewhere in Ireland and get a house with smaller mortgage repayments.

Has anyone else done the same and if so how do you feel about your decision in terms of finances and quality of life?

One other point
There are reasons why property in Donegal is cheaper than Dublin
You get nothing for nothing ?
Jobs , Hospitals , entertainment, museums , galleries , transport etc are all much easier to access in Dublin

bobbyy gee

it depends were you work
also if they shut the border due to brexit
it will be harder to travel less work and houses will get cheaper

awec

If you grew up rurally, and know what life is going to be like then it could work for you, depending on your work situation.

If you grew up in Dublin or any large town really it will be a big shock to the system IMO, and usually these things are a one way ticket as making the move in the opposite direction is much harder.

DesperateDan

Apart from work, I would just look at your social life. If you got out often, heading to different pubs / restaurants across the city every week or even a couple of times a month that is almost wiped out moving to somewhere like Donegal.

Sure you can go out to the 15 local pubs around you or the 5 local decent restaurants, but that will get tiring very quickly if you are used to having a constant stream of new places around you.

In my neck of the woods (Westmeath/Longford) there's only about 3 restaurants I would actually sit down and pay decent money to eat in, and they've all been there for 15 years with the same menu! I also find it difficult because I have to drive everywhere and would be too far for taxis, so drinking with partners is practically out of the question

inthenip

brisan wrote: »

One other point
There are reasons why property in Donegal is cheaper than Dublin
You get nothing for nothing ?
Jobs , Hospitals , entertainment, museums , galleries , transport etc are all much easier to access in Dublin

Jobs, That's it really. Dublin is an unmerciful kip. You think Dublin is the only place with hospitals, museums, entertainment and galleries and transport?

Panic Stations

I work for myself and pretty much can work anywhere as long as I have Wifi and a laptop.

I currently live in South Dublin and would say I've been in Dublin City Centre maybe 3 times in the past 12 months (Obviously Covid had an influence on this)

Even the area I'm in at the moment I wouldn't eat out in or go down to the local pub mainly because it's not great for that sort of thing.

The appeal behind Letterkenny is the fact that it still has that nice local "towny" feel about it and it also has all the good shops, restaurants and pubs in.

Littlehorny

If you are sure that you can guarantee staying self employed till retirement age then that's good because I work with a few people from Donegal and they travel to Meath and house share down here for a few nights a week because every job up there is minimum wage.
Also they will tell you when the weather is good it's a beautiful spot but when the weather is bad....it's very bad!
So you will have to face way worse weather at times and a lot more of it.

DesperateDan

Panic Stations wrote:

I currently live in South Dublin and would say I've been in Dublin City Centre maybe 3 times in the past 12 months (Obviously Covid had an influence on this)

For me you would be mad to continue living in Dublin in that case, unless you have some other reason to stick around like a tonne of friends or very close family. You can buy an amazing property in somewhere like Donegal and pay a tiny mortgage while city dwellers continue to pay over 2k a month for a small (but nice) box.

Glenomra

Limerick City-South east Clare area. great place to live.

DubCount

It basically comes down to a lifestyle choice. You get cheaper housing, shorter commutes and maybe more community spirit. You also get less choice of shops, theatres, restaurants etc.. Rural Ireland would not be my choice. I've always been wary of the level of acceptance you get from being "a blow in", and the restriction on what new job opportunities might arise etc. That said, some people would not have it any other way. Certainly, I would rent before buying in a town to get a real feel of what living there on a wet January morning was like.

irishguy

We were thinking a similar thing recently, but moving to Galway and working remotely. Has more going on than Donegal, but is also a good bit more expensive. Work would be the main reason to stay, since we had kids living in the city has lost its appeal and we make little use of it. Value space more these days and a few good pubs/restaurants, for the very few times we get out.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Donegal getting a bit of flack in here from people who probably have never been there. Beautiful county, nice people, plenty going on. If employment isn't going to be an issue going forward, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer (or cheaper) part of Ireland.

OP mentioned Letterkenny, in which case things like socialising, broadband access, housing, schools etc are all just as accessible as they are in Dublin, with a smaller pick of course.

The only big downside is that it is obviously very remote from the rest of the country and if you want to get anywhere, you pretty much have to have access to a car. If this isn't an issue for you, go for it!

franglan

DubCount wrote: »

It basically comes down to a lifestyle choice. You get cheaper housing, shorter commutes and maybe more community spirit. You also get less choice of shops, theatres, restaurants etc.. Rural Ireland would not be my choice. I've always been wary of the level of acceptance you get from being "a blow in", and the restriction on what new job opportunities might arise etc. That said, some people would not have it any other way. Certainly, I would rent before buying in a town to get a real feel of what living there on a wet January morning was like.

I honestly don't think being a "blow-in" would be a problem in most Irish rural towns. Once you are sound in Clonakilty, you are sound in Clones and will soon fit in.

circadian

I'd love to move to donegal myself. I'm from Derry originally but have always had a soft spot for Donegal. Getting a suitable job there hinders me doing it but I'd certainly be interested.

As others have said, it'll be a bit of a culture shock if you're used to large cities, Letterkenny has pretty much everything you need and Derry is just down the road.

The weather can be absolutely brutal in that part of the country but if you enjoy storm watching you'll see plenty there. When the weather is good it's spectacular, an endless supply of amazing beaches and coastline to enjoy.

tastyt

Letterkenny is a big town , like naas, newbridge, Athlone, Clonmel, mullingar, portlaoise.

These places are not the wilderness, plenty of amenities as regards sport and entertainment, loadsa places to eat and drink, and property prices less than half of decent Dublin areas ( apart from Naas possibly )

Add to this most are a short drive to nice countryside, mountains, lakes etc.


Obviously they are not perfect and have there own social issues but nothing compared with Dublin. If you can work from anywhere and you don’t have huge family or social circle ties you’d be mad not to give it a try

awec

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Donegal getting a bit of flack in here from people who probably have never been there. Beautiful county, nice people, plenty going on. If employment isn't going to be an issue going forward, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer (or cheaper) part of Ireland.

OP mentioned Letterkenny, in which case things like socialising, broadband access, housing, schools etc are all just as accessible as they are in Dublin, with a smaller pick of course.

The only big downside is that it is obviously very remote from the rest of the country and if you want to get anywhere, you pretty much have to have access to a car. If this isn't an issue for you, go for it!

Can we please get some perspective here? While I am sure Letterkenny has schools and some form of broadband, and it has houses, let's not pretend that a medium sized town has these things as accessible as the capital city.

Smouse156

You have little to lose by renting there for a while to check it out. Many people in Dublin are there for work and don’t actually want to live there.

Me & family looking at relocating up there next year and non of us want to go. Hoping WFH will be permanent to avoid the place. It’s just such an unbelievable rip off

inthenip

awec wrote: »

Can we please get some perspective here? While I am sure Letterkenny has schools and some form of broadband, and it has houses, let's not pretend that a medium sized town has these things as accessible as the capital city.

The only thing Dublin has going for it is jobs are plentiful. That's about it.

Its an overpriced Kip.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

awec wrote: »

Can we please get some perspective here? While I am sure Letterkenny has schools and some form of broadband, and it has houses, let's not pretend that a medium sized town has these things as accessible as the capital city.

I've mentioned 4 fairly basic necessities that any medium sized urban area can offer. Don't presume that they are less accessible or of inferior quality because they are not situated in the capital city.

NSAman

awec wrote: »

Can we please get some perspective here? While I am sure Letterkenny has schools and some form of broadband, and it has houses, let's not pretend that a medium sized town has these things as accessible as the capital city.

Errr why?

I moved out of a major city to live in the middle of no where. Would never change it. How many times a year do you go to museums? How many nights a week do you eat out?

I have a home in the west of Ireland too as well as a place in Dublin. Where do I prefer to call my principal residence? The west.. more choice of places to eat properly, better quality of life, people have time for each other. Although I live 5000 miles away, when I get back home, the neighbours know and it circulates in town immediately ... the smoke in the chimney is a give away.

Security and community and people who actually give a damn about their neighbours is paramount for me. It’s the same where I live here...everyone knows everyone. When someone needs assistance there is always someone there.

Do I know who lives next door to me in Dublin...errr.. nope... did I know who lived beside me in the city here? Errrr. Nope!

inthenip

Good thing about rural towns and villages is that if there is 100 people in the pub, you will know all of them by name.

You don't get that in Dublin.

Mr Hindley

inthenip wrote: »

Good thing about rural towns and villages is that if there is 100 people in the pub, you will know all of them by name.

Just to demonstrate how it really is different strokes for different folks - I know that sounds really appealing to most people, but it would do my head in The anonymity of living in a big city certainly has its down sides, but for some of us, it has its own appeal also!

LoonyLovegood

I'm moving from Dublin to the midlands, and I can't wait for lockdown to be over to do it. My quality of life will be better, and there's good transport links if I change jobs and need to be back in Dublin for work. It's a no brainer, I never could have afforded to buy in Dublin, but I can have my own house there.

Panic Stations

My other half is from Donegal and we have friends up there so social life isn't going to be an issue.

We both have access to cars and she's a nurse so can pretty much work anywhere where there's a hospital.

I'm just fed up paying ridiculous rent prices in Dublin especially in an area where I don't really go out in.

The only real things that's holding me here is family and friends (whom I'm seeing less and less of).

Letterkenny is fairly well developed to be fair to it. Nice little town center with retail parks around it so not shortage of shops and food/drink.

Wouldn't be arsed with museums. haha.

JohnnyChimpo

NSAman wrote: »

Errr why?

Do I know who lives next door to me in Dublin...errr.. nope... did I know who lived beside me in the city here? Errrr. Nope!

I know all the 20-ish neighbouring families on my quiet cul-de-sac in Dublin city centre, at least in passing. The day after we moved in our next door neighbour's 11yo kid made us a map of the whole street where he wrote in everybody's name, it's still up on our fridge. The day of the move itself, there was a street party going on so we got a warm welcome.

The point is, your anecdotes don't really do much more than reinforce a conception of a rural-urban divide which I've found to be pretty illusory in my experience.

Also, this same topic will continue to be debated in circles eternally to no productive outcome - some people prefer city living, some people prefer country living, some people appreciate the benefits of both, and some very sheltered people cannot imagine a mode of living distinct from the one they currently inhabit. SUch is life, I don't think either rural or urban dwellers would be well-served by a unanimous opinion on this

JimmyVik

Give me decent broadband and a reasonable sized town within 20 minutes drive and im happy as Larry ... as long as I never have to change job.Once you have to change job and must work from Donegal your pool of available jobs drops. Now you might get one now, but if there is a recession you will be unlikely to get a telecommuting job that pays well if at all.

El Tarangu

Panic Stations wrote: »

My other half is from Donegal and we have friends up there so social life isn't going to be an issue.

We both have access to cars and she's a nurse so can pretty much work anywhere where there's a hospital.

I'm just fed up paying ridiculous rent prices in Dublin especially in an area where I don't really go out in.

The only real things that's holding me here is family and friends (whom I'm seeing less and less of).

Letterkenny is fairly well developed to be fair to it. Nice little town center with retail parks around it so not shortage of shops and food/drink.

Wouldn't be arsed with museums. haha.

Sounds like it could be a good move so, OP.

One thing to bear in mind that hasn't been mentioned: if you have kids, living in Dublin would mean that when they go to university, you would more than likely not get stuck with paying accommodation costs for them when they went to college, whereas if you lived in Donegal, you almost definitely would.

Ush1

NSAman wrote: »

Errr why?

I moved out of a major city to live in the middle of no where. Would never change it. How many times a year do you go to museums? How many nights a week do you eat out?

I have a home in the west of Ireland too as well as a place in Dublin. Where do I prefer to call my principal residence? The west.. more choice of places to eat properly, better quality of life, people have time for each other. Although I live 5000 miles away, when I get back home, the neighbours know and it circulates in town immediately ... the smoke in the chimney is a give away.

Security and community and people who actually give a damn about their neighbours is paramount for me. It’s the same where I live here...everyone knows everyone. When someone needs assistance there is always someone there.

Do I know who lives next door to me in Dublin...errr.. nope... did I know who lived beside me in the city here? Errrr. Nope!

Probably because you don't live there?

There is plenty of community in Dublin but it helps if it's your PPR.

inthenip

inthenip wrote: »

Good thing about rural towns and villages is that if there is 100 people in the pub, you will know all of them by name.

You don't get that in Dublin.

Having grown up in a small rural town, I have to say that's what I love about Dublin.
I can walk into a pub, in normal times! & not know one single person in there. More importantly, they don't know me.
It's great

markpb

inthenip wrote: »

Good thing about rural towns and villages is that if there is 100 people in the pub, you will know all of them by name. You don't get that in Dublin.

Many suburban pubs in Dublin are similar to that. You might not know everyone in the place but the same people generally go at the same time for years on end, especially older people.

JohnnyChimpo wrote: »

I know all the 20-ish neighbouring families on my quiet cul-de-sac in Dublin city centre, at least in passing.

When we were renting and both of us working, we knew 1-2 neighbours on the street but never more than that. Now that we've been living in the same house for several years and our kids are our playing with other kids, we know quite a few people living on our street. It's not a rural-only thing like others have suggested.

Also, this same topic will continue to be debated in circles eternally to no productive outcome - some people prefer city living, some people prefer country living, some people appreciate the benefits of both, and some very sheltered people cannot imagine a mode of living distinct from the one they currently inhabit. SUch is life, I don't think either rural or urban dwellers would be well-served by a unanimous opinion on this

+1

OP, rent in Donegal for a year and see how you get on. You might love it or hate it but you won't know until you've tried it.

KilOit

I've heard of more people moving out of Dublin and moving back when better off financially than living in Dublin and moving out. People saying it's a kip just come across as bitter not being able to live here.

Ray Palmer

inthenip wrote: »

Good thing about rural towns and villages is that if there is 100 people in the pub, you will know all of them by name.

You don't get that in Dublin.

Sounds like hell. Wouldn't like that at all. What if you dislike a person or a group? What if somebody takes a dislike to you?

Not singling out Doengal but the Gardai there did persecute a family and locals were part of that. So there is an obvious downside to everybody being known

irishguy

Dublin is a very nice place to live, with great facilities for singles and families, with great access to employment opportunities, but it's very expensive as a result. So unless your a high income household your standard of living in Dublin, the area and house you can afford is going to be limited.

If your a low or even medium income household with kids, then it's very different and you would need to look at the sourounding counties to have a similar level of lifestyle, with possibly a long commute.

For me personally we loved living here ,as we both have good careers and own a house in a very nice area in the city very good local community and would chat away to a number of the neighbors . Things changed with kids and having no family nearby, a number of our friends with kids have left (due to the cost/lack of family support) and we would like more space, which we could afford but would require us have a mortgage for longer than we would like.

PhilOssophy

I love the way people say Dublin is a kip. I grew up in a small Irish town, and have visited many other small towns, is a boarded up small town full with 5-10 charity shops on the main street appealing to other people?
Somebody raised the point about 100 people in a pub knowing your own name - I HATE that when I go home. Going in to the pub and everybody looking when the door opens, etc. Give me the anonymity any day.
Or people judging you based on your house/job/car/children/involvement in GAA/going to mass/whatever. I honestly love walking out the door and nobody knowing nor caring about my business.
Different strokes, different folks.

awec

I grew up in a large town OP, lived in Dublin for almost a decade, then moved to a small town. Anyone trying to tell you that town life (big or small) is like living in Dublin but just with a bit less choice is filling your head full of shite. I am not saying it is worse, I am saying it is a very different lifestyle. There is a lot less to do. The infrastructure around you is chalk and cheese, it just doesn't compare.

You may love it, you may hate it, different strokes for different folks, but IMO you'd be mad to jump into it head first on the back of a weekend with your mates. If renting for a while is possible I would do that first.

lawrencesummers

Don’t forget the weather in a decision like this.

It’s all well and good saying the west of Ireland is beautiful during the summer and much of the autumn.

But the winter is long and indoor entertainment options are a benefit in the bad weather. Play areas for kids, choices of restaurants, cinemas, theaters etc etc.

shesty

North County Dublin OP:D County. Not city.
I wouldn't live round the Southside if you paid me!! Way too expensive, desperate traffic, overcrowded, you pay a premium on everything - childcare, rent, mortgage, schools, everything. There is way more to Dublin than the county south of the Liffey, just nobody bothers looking.

Happy out here with several amazing beaches within a stone's throw, the city 30 minutes away, plenty of space, a good-sized town - and others within easy reach....it's pricier than Donegal, but nothing near what the Southside will cost you.;)

DesperateDan

It is mad how different the climate can be in this little country. Even in Longford I think the weather is much worse than Dublin, and summers in the south of Cork can often feel like the Mediterranean

inthenip

KilOit wrote: »

I've heard of more people moving out of Dublin and moving back when better off financially than living in Dublin and moving out. People saying it's a kip just come across as bitter not being able to live here.

Compare Kilkenny to Dublin and it's 10 times better to live in.

listermint

awec wrote: »

I grew up in a large town OP, lived in Dublin for almost a decade, then moved to a small town. Anyone trying to tell you that town life (big or small) is like living in Dublin but just with a bit less choice is filling your head full of shite. I am not saying it is worse, I am saying it is a very different lifestyle. There is a lot less to do. The infrastructure around you is chalk and cheese, it just doesn't compare.

You may love it, you may hate it, different strokes for different folks, but IMO you'd be mad to jump into it head first on the back of a weekend with your mates. If renting for a while is possible I would do that first.

There wasn't a poster in here said it was like Dublin. They did however say that medium sized towns do have amenities . Something you shot down as kidding themselves.

Medium sized towns all over the country have amenities. The one close to me has an IMAX ffs. There's life outside Dublin. There's life inside Dublin. It's up to the individual what they want .

There are positives and negatives to both. If you want to move outside Dublin you can definitely have restaurants. Cinema, pubs, theater , schools , child care and whatever else. Saying someone is kidding themselves is well..... Silly.

Donegal is beautiful, we went there every year as kids on holidays. My sister and husband have lived there all their married lives and will probably never leave now, but they are quite cut off from things. They live 20km outside Letterkenny. Letterkenny itself is buzzing , at least it was before Covid.

Be prepared for far worse weather than the East coast - and that's no exaggeration. It is colder and wetter. My sister's other half is American and suffers from SAD every Winter as he finds the grey dullness terribly depressing. Their kids are grown up and gone and none of them stayed in Donegal, they fled to Dublin and abroad. Unless you live in Letterkenny or maybe Donegal town you will be in quite a lot of remoteness. Its breath takingly beautiful but its quiet. The other huge issue is broadband. My sister has tried every single broadband provider and her internet is pure crap, calls constantly dropping or freezing, pages taking minutes to load etc.

My kids are also grown and I sometime think of moving up there for the peace and beauty but the two biggest deterrents for me are the weather (I hate the cold) and lack of connectivity.

KilOit

inthenip wrote: »

Compare Kilkenny to Dublin and it's 10 times better to live in.

One is small town that has over supply of pubs and nice castle that does well in summer, other is a large city with huge range of everything.

John_Rambo

NSAman wrote: »

Do I know who lives next door to me in Dublin...errr.. nope... did I know who lived beside me in the city here? Errrr. Nope!

How did that happen? How do you not know your neighbours? I'm just interested as to how people live in Dublin but don't get to know their neighbours or inexplicably don't know who lived beside them? I've lived all over Dublin and never ever didn't know my neighbours.

lawrencesummers

KilOit wrote: »

One is small town that has over supply of pubs and nice castle that does well in summer, other is a large city with huge range of everything.

By everything do you mean traffic jams, noise, crime, drugs, murders, queues, stress, higher prices....


Just because you see it one way that you like doesn’t mean somebody else sees the exact opposite.

I lived in Dublin for a while, lived in Manhattan for a while as well. Loved every minute of it. Delighted to leave them both when the time came.

WhenPigsCry

listermint wrote: »

Medium sized towns all over the country have amenities. The one close to me has an IMAX ffs. There's life outside Dublin. There's life inside Dublin. It's up to the individual what they want .

The only IMAX branded screen in Ireland is in Dublin, and even that is not genuine IMAX. If you like cinemas Dublin is definitely the place to be.

John_Rambo

lawrencesummers wrote: »

By everything do you mean traffic jams, noise, crime, drugs, murders, queues, stress, higher prices....


Just because you see it one way that you like doesn’t mean somebody else sees the exact opposite.

I lived in Dublin for a while, lived in Manhattan for a while as well. Loved every minute of it. Delighted to leave them both when the time came.

Small towns don't have everything that large cities have. Just because you experienced cities one way doesn’t mean somebody else experienced them differently.

ednwireland

moved to donegal in 1997 from the UK , never regretted it once, the only issue i have is the fibre broadband stopped a couple of hundred yards form the house (shame i dint think of that in 1997 !)

but getting up on a morning and looking across Donegal bay to letrim glens and benbulben, hard to beat

im 2 miles from donegal town and its quiet - but that doesnt bother me

lawrencesummers

John_Rambo wrote: »

Small towns don't have everything that large cities have. Just because you experienced cities one way doesn’t mean somebody else experienced them differently.

And thats the point I made, cities don’t have everything like peace, quiet, safety... etc etc,
You can reverse it all you want but it’s the same point.
It’s about what suits the individual at certain times in their life, and for your own happiness it important to recognize that At times you need a change of venue.

A mid twenties person who likes to socialize isn’t going to be happy in a one horse town but a mid twenties mother of two isn’t going to be happy with a 60 minute commute to primary school.

Different strokes...