Living in Clontarf, Co. Dublin: Schools, Commute & House Prices 2026

Clontarf is a town in Co. Dublin, about 12 minutes from Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line, 5 schools, 74.6% of households own their home. Living here costs a median €876,650 to buy or €2,115 a month to rent (RTB Q4 2025) (a 2.9% gross yield).

Official CSO, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland, PPR & RTB data · 171 sales · PPR sales to Aug 2026 · CSO benchmark to May 2026 · rents Q4 2025 (RTB)

Who lives in Clontarf: 74.6% own their home, full Census breakdown

Who lives in Clontarf

3,189 people live in Clontarf on Census 2022 night. 75% of households own their home and 21% rent, so Clontarf leans towards owner occupiers. The most common way to commute is by car (38%). It skews older: 22% are aged 65 and over against 15% under 15. 66% of those who have finished education hold a third level qualification.

Source: CSO Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics, CC-BY 4.0. Figures are for the Clontarf East C electoral division around Clontarf.

Getting around and commuting

Nearest train station: Killester (in the town), on the DART line

Public transport serving Clontarf: 4 operators

Getting around Clontarf

Clontarf is served by 4 public-transport operators running 6 scheduled routes. Operators are Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, Nitelink, Dublin Bus and Nolan Coaches.

Scheduled routes

• 53 - Dublin Ferryport - Talbot St
• 104 - Clontarf Station - DCU (The Helix)
• 130 - Talbot Street - Castle Avenue
• 31n - Dublin City South, D'Olier Street - Howth, Outside Train Station
• 32X - UCD Belfield - Malahide
• 853 - Dublin Port - Heuston Station

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.

Schools in Clontarf

There are 4 primary and 1 post-primary schools in and around Clontarf.

Source: Department of Education, Data on Individual Schools. CC-BY 4.0.

Things to do in and around Clontarf

• Heritage nearby: Casino Marino, Dublin City (2 km) · St. Mary's Abbey Abbey, Dublin City (5 km) · St. Audoens Church, Dublin City (5 km) · Kilmainham Gaol (8 km)
• Walking trails in County Dublin: Wicklow Way · Barnaslingan - Pine loop trail (Blue) · Barnaslingan - Scalp Lookout Trail (Red) · Carrickgollogan - Lead Mines Way - (Orange)
• Nature reserves: Wicklow Mountains National Park · North Bull Island Nature Reserve · Rogerstown Estuary Nature Reserve

Where Clontarf is

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

What it costs: house prices and rent in Clontarf

What this means: New builds in Clontarf sell at about a 15% discount to second-hand homes (€747,500 vs €880,825).

Recent sales in Clontarf

Actual sale prices from the Property Price Register, verifiable at propertypriceregister.ie.

Clontarf median price, year by year

Average rent by size (Q4 2025)

Maximum legal rent increase in Clontarf

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

Clontarf compared with County Dublin

Rent or buy in Clontarf?

At a glance: €876,650 to buy versus €2,115 a month to rent (RTB Q4 2025), a 2.9% gross yield.

Local Property Tax in Clontarf

The median home (€876,650) falls in LPT Band 8, a base charge of €808 a year before Dublin County Council's local adjustment factor. Use the calculator for your exact valuation.

Renting in Clontarf: 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 Clontarf

In the 12 months to August 2026, 50 planning grants were recorded in and around Clontarf, including 5 new homes approved across those grants.

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 5 homes approved here in the last year are about 0% of Clontarf's roughly 1,193 households, a supply pipeline that typically eases price pressure.

Flood maps

For the modelled fluvial, coastal and pluvial flood extents around Clontarf, open the official OPW flood maps, the authoritative source for Clontarf, Dublin.

View the official OPW flood maps for Clontarf →

Source: Office of Public Works, floodinfo.ie. No OPW flood-extent values are reproduced here.

County context

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 Dublin towns

Dartry · Mount Merrion · Sandycove · Rathgar · Rathmines · Dalkey

All Dublin 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.

See the full Clontarf house prices page: median, year trend, rents by bedroom, yields and recent sales.

Visiting first? Things to do in Clontarf covers attractions, heritage sites and walks nearby.