Want to save on rent? Move out of Westmeath

Renters could save themselves €175 a month by opting not to live in Westmeath, and to choose Longford instead, figures released by Daft.ie have shown.

Westmeath is now one of the most expensive counties in the country in which to rent accommodation, and renters are now paying an average of €671 per month.

By contrast, in neighbouring Longford average rents are just €496 monthly.

Someone living in Westmeath who opted to cross the county boundary into Longford could make an annual saving of just over €2,000 in their rent bills – although depending on where they were working, that saving might have to go on petrol or diesel.

Year on year, rent in Westmeath is up 11.3 per cent.

It has also risen in other midland counties, having attained an average level of €646 monthly for renters in Offaly, €537 for those in Roscommon, €555 in Cavan and €659 in Laois.

In Meath, however, renters pay a whopping €926 monthly, a figure that has risen by 14.8 per cent over the past year.

Outside of Dublin and the cities, only Wicklow, Meath, Cork county, Kildare, Carlow and Kilkenny have dearer rents than Westmeath.