Living in Ashbourne, Co. Meath: Schools, Commute & House Prices 2026
On this page
- Who lives in Ashbourne
- Getting around and commuting
- Getting around Ashbourne
- Commute to Dublin from Ashbourne
- Schools in Ashbourne
- Things to do in and around Ashbourne
- Where Ashbourne is
- What it costs: house prices and rent in Ashbourne
- Before you move: planning and flood
- Recent development in Ashbourne
- Flood maps
- County context
- Common questions about living in Ashbourne
- Nearby Meath towns
Leinster house prices & rents › Meath › Living in Ashbourne
Ashbourne is a town in Co. Meath, about 25 minutes from Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line, 8 schools, 72.3% of households own their home. Living here costs a median €487,500 to buy or €1,775 a month to rent (a 4.4% gross yield).
Official CSO, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland, PPR & RTB data · 323 sales · updated July 2026
How Ashbourne compares: at €487,500 it is 19% above the County Meath median of €410k. Its 4.4% gross yield is below the county average of 4.6%.Recent activity in Ashbourne: latest recorded sale Jun 2026; 325 new homes approved in the last year; prices +26.6% year on year. This page updates as new official data lands.
Who lives in Ashbourne — 72.3% own their home, full Census breakdown
Who lives in Ashbourne
15,680 people live in Ashbourne on Census 2022 night. 72% of households own their home and 24% rent, so Ashbourne leans towards owner occupiers. The most common way to commute is by car (59%). It skews young: 26% are under 15 against 8% aged 65 and over. 45% of those who have finished education hold a third level qualification.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population (2022) | 15,680 |
| Owner-occupied households | 72% |
| Rented households | 24% |
| Aged under 15 | 26% |
| Aged 25 to 44 | 33% |
| Aged 65 and over | 8% |
| Third level or higher | 45% |
| At work (aged 15+) | 66% |
| Unemployment rate | 4% |
| Commute by car | 59% |
| Commute by public transport | 10% |
| Commute on foot or bike | 27% |
Source: CSO Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics for the Ashbourne built-up area, CC-BY 4.0.
Getting around and commuting
Nearest train station: M3 Parkway (9.7 km away), on the Maynooth line
Public transport serving Ashbourne — 6 operators
Getting around Ashbourne
Ashbourne is served by 6 public-transport operators running 12 scheduled routes. Operators are Ashbourne Connect, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Nitelink, Dublin Bus, Streamline Coaches and TFI Local Link Louth Meath Fingal.
| Operator | Mode |
|---|---|
| Ashbourne Connect | Bus / coach |
| Bus Éireann | Bus / coach |
| Go-Ahead Ireland | Bus / coach |
| Nitelink, Dublin Bus | Bus / coach |
| Streamline Coaches | Bus / coach |
| TFI Local Link Louth Meath Fingal | Bus / coach |
Scheduled routes
- 103 - Dublin - Ashbourne - Ratoath
- 105 - Blanchardstown - Ashbourne - Ashbourne - Drogheda
- 192 - Swords - Balbriggan
- 193 - Ashbourne - Dublin
- 194 - Ratoath - Dublin
- 195 - Balbriggan - Ashbourne
- 197 - Airside Ind. Estate, stop 7210 - Ashbourne Retail Pk, stop 101001
- 88n - Dublin City South, Westmoreland Street - Ashbourne, Ashbourne Kelly's
- 103X - Dublin - Ashbourne - Duleek - Navan
- 105X - UCD - M3 - Ratoath - Ashbourne
- 109A - DCU - Airport - Ratoath - Navan
- UM03 - Dundalk - Drogheda - Maynooth
Source: Transport for Ireland GTFS_All feed (NTA), CC-BY 4.0. Stops matched to the town within a 6 km radius; route list capped.
Commute to Dublin from Ashbourne
Driving from Ashbourne to Dublin city centre takes about 26 minutes by car on a clear run. That makes it the 2nd-closest to Dublin of the 4 Meath towns we have routed, behind Dunboyne at 25 minutes.
| Town | Drive to Dublin |
|---|---|
| Ashbourne, Meath This town | 26 min |
| Leixlip, Kildare Closest routed town | 22 min |
| Wexford, Wexford Farthest routed town | 106 min |
Door-to-centre driving time routed on OpenStreetMap road data via OSRM, no live traffic. Comparison is against the Leinster commuter towns routed so far. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Schools in Ashbourne
There are 6 primary and 2 post-primary schools in and around Ashbourne.
| School | Level | Pupils | DEIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne Community School | Post-primary | 1111 | |
| De Lacy College | Post-primary | 913 | |
| Scoil Nais Deaglain | Primary | 621 | |
| Scoil Mhuire | Primary | 479 | |
| Ashbourne Educate Together National School | Primary | 410 | |
| Ashbourne Community National School | Primary | 341 | |
| Gaelscoil Na Mí | Primary | 242 | |
| Gaelscoil Na Cille | Primary | 227 |
Source: Department of Education, Data on Individual Schools. CC-BY 4.0.
Things to do in and around Ashbourne
- Heritage nearby: Skreen Church (14 km) · Lusk (15 km) · Hill of Tara (16 km) · Casino Marino, Dublin City (19 km)
- Walking trails in County Meath: Royal Canal Way · Royal Canal Greenway Walking Trail · Drewstown Woods - Girley Bog walk · Littlewood - Forest Walk
Where Ashbourne is
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
What it costs: house prices and rent in Ashbourne
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median sale price (12 mo) | €487,500 (+26.6% YoY) |
| Average monthly rent | €1,775 |
| Gross rental yield | 4.4% |
| Net yield (est.) | 3.4% |
| Meath county median | €410k |
| New build / second-hand | €499,949 / €399,925 |
What this means: New builds in Ashbourne sell at about a 25% premium to second-hand homes (€499,949 vs €399,925).
Recent sales in Ashbourne
| Date | Address | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Jun 26 | 27 BRINDLEY PARK GREEN, ASHBOURNE, MEATH | Second-hand | €391,000 |
| 02 Jun 26 | 54 THE BRIARS, BALTRASNA PARK, ASHBOURNE | Second-hand | €335,000 |
| 02 Jun 26 | 80 Coach Way, Coach, Ashbourne | New | €275,229 |
| 02 Jun 26 | 81 Coach Way, Coach, Ashbourne | New | €275,229 |
| 02 Jun 26 | 82 Coach Way, Coach, Ashbourne | New | €275,229 |
| 29 May 26 | 16 ST ANTHONYS, BACHALORA WALK, ASHBOURNE | Second-hand | €275,000 |
| 29 May 26 | 6 MILLBOURNE DRIVE, SLANE ROAD, ASHBOURNE | Second-hand | €440,500 |
| 28 May 26 | 18 MILLBOURNE CLOSE, SLANE ROAD, ASHBOURNE | Second-hand | €491,000 |
Actual sale prices from the Property Price Register, verifiable at propertypriceregister.ie.
Ashbourne median price, year by year
| Year | Median | Relative | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | €345,000 | 190 sales | |
| 2024 | €350,000 | 165 sales | |
| 2025 | €485,000 | 288 sales | |
| 2026 | €476,500 | 142 sales |
Average rent by size
| 1-bed | 2-bed | 3-bed | 4+ bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | €1,759 | €1,805 | — |
Maximum legal rent increase in Ashbourne
Since 1 March 2026 a rent review is capped at the lower of 2% a year (pro rata) or CPI inflation.
The full March 2026 rent review rules
Ashbourne compared with County Meath
| County | Median | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne | 487500 | |
| County Meath median | 410000 |
Rent or buy in Ashbourne?
At a glance: €487,500 to buy versus €1,775 a month to rent, a 4.4% gross yield.
Local Property Tax in Ashbourne
The median home (€487,500) falls in LPT Band 4, a base charge of €428 a year before Meath County Council's local adjustment factor. Use the calculator for your exact valuation.
Renting in Ashbourne: the March 2026 rent rules
Every rent increase is now capped at the lesser of 2% a year (pro rata) or CPI inflation, nationwide since 1 March 2026. A review needs 90 days' notice on the RTB form, no more than one in any 12 months, and the notice must cite three comparable homes from the RTB Rent Register. Check any rent increase against the legal cap, or see average rents for every Leinster town.
Before you move: planning and flood
Recent development in Ashbourne
In the 12 months to July 2026, 65 planning grants were recorded in and around Ashbourne, including 325 new homes approved across those grants.
| Decided | Development | Homes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-13 | Permission for a Large-Scale Residential Development - ARNUB LIMITED Intends to apply for Permission for a Large-scale Residential Development at... | 233 |
| 2026-03-26 | The proposed development consists of 71 no. 2 storey houses, comprised of 3 no. 2 bed, 63 no. 3 bed and 5 no.4 bed, detached, semi-detached and... | 71 |
| 2026-02-27 | the development will consist of the following: (1) to demolish a detached domestic garage on the site, (2) to construct a development of 2 no... | 2 |
| 2026-03-30 | The development will consist of: •The change of use of 1508sqm of carpark on Levels 2.5 and 3.5 (rooftop) of the multistorey car park to a new two... | 1 |
| 2026-02-18 | THE DEVELOPMENT WILL CONSIST OF A DWELLING AND GARAGE WITH A SUITABLE WASTEWATER TREATMENT UNIT AND ASSOCIATED SITE WORKS. | 1 |
Source: Irish Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (ArcGIS, CC-BY 4.0). Granted applications keyed to the nearest town within 7 km. Homes column shows residential units in the application where recorded.
What this means: The 325 homes approved here in the last year are about 6% of Ashbourne's roughly 5,012 households, a supply pipeline that typically eases price pressure.
Flood maps
For the modelled fluvial, coastal and pluvial flood extents around Ashbourne, open the official OPW flood maps, the authoritative source for Ashbourne, Meath.
View the official OPW flood maps for Ashbourne →
Source: Office of Public Works, floodinfo.ie. No OPW flood-extent values are reproduced here.
County context
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population (2022 Census) | 220,826 |
| Population change 2016 to 2022 | +13.2% |
| Disposable income per person (index, State = 100) | 98.4 |
| New dwelling permissions (Mid-East region, 2017) | 657 thousand m² |
Planning permissions are reported at NUTS3 region level; counties in this region share a figure.
Sources: CSO F1001, CIA02, BHQ09. CC-BY 4.0.
Nearby Meath towns
Dunboyne · Dunshaughlin · Ratoath · Stamullen · Clonee · Bettystown
All Meath house prices · All Leinster house prices
Sources: CSO Census 2022, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland, Property Price Register (PSRA), CSO RPPI, RTB via CSO. CC-BY. Figures verifiable at the official source.
Common questions about living in Ashbourne
What's it like to live in Ashbourne?
Ashbourne is a town in Co. Meath, about 25 minutes from Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line, 8 schools, 72.3% of households own their home (CSO Census 2022, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland).
How much does it cost to live in Ashbourne?
A home in Ashbourne costs a median €487,500 to buy or €1,775 a month to rent, a 4.4% gross yield (Property Price Register, RTB via CSO).
How long is the commute from Ashbourne to Dublin?
About 25 minutes to Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line (OpenStreetMap routing).
What schools are in Ashbourne?
Schools in Ashbourne include Ashbourne Community School, De Lacy College, Scoil Nais Deaglain, Scoil Mhuire, among 6 primary and 2 post-primary in total (Department of Education, 2024/25).
Shortlist is full (max 3 towns). View your shortlist to remove a town first.
Median of open-market sales each year (Property Price Register). Latest year is partial.
Could a home in Ashbourne pay as a buy-to-let?
Pre-filled with Ashbourne's median price and average rent. Change any figure and it recalculates instantly.
Illustrative. Assumes ~18% of rent for management, insurance and voids; 25-year mortgage on the borrowed share; ~4% acquisition costs. Not financial advice.
What can you afford to buy in Ashbourne?
Pre-filled with Ashbourne's median price. Adjust the income and deposit and it recalculates instantly.
Central Bank rules: 3.5x gross income for most buyers; first-time buyers can borrow up to 90% LTV. Figures are illustrative, not financial advice.
Stamp duty on a Ashbourne property
Pre-filled with Ashbourne's median price. Change the purchase price and see your stamp duty and total cost instantly.
Irish residential stamp duty: 1% on the first €1,000,000; 2% on any amount above. Figures are illustrative, not legal or financial advice.
Local Property Tax for a Ashbourne home
Pre-filled with Ashbourne's median price. Uses the 2026 Revenue valuation bands (valuation date: 1 November 2025).
Revenue LPT 2026-2030 band table (source: revenue.ie). Your local authority can vary the base charge by up to 15%. Figures are illustrative; verify at Revenue's LPT reckoner for your exact property.
Rent cap calculator for Ashbourne
Pre-filled with Ashbourne's median rent. From 1 March 2026 all private tenancies in Ireland are covered by national rent control: the annual increase is capped at 2% or CPI inflation, whichever is lower.
Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2025; national rent control from 1 March 2026 (source: rtb.ie). RPZ_CAP_PCT = 2.0% per annum -- flagged for Bryan to verify the exact statutory rate before publishing. Figures are illustrative, not legal advice.