Living in Portarlington, Co. Laois: Schools, Commute & House Prices 2026
Leinster house prices & rents › Laois › Living in Portarlington
Portarlington is a town in Co. Laois, about 64 minutes from Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line, 5 schools, 61.8% of households own their home. Living here costs a median €330,000 to buy or €1,188 a month to rent (a 4.3% gross yield).
Official CSO, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland, PPR & RTB data · 147 sales · updated July 2026
How Portarlington compares: at €330,000 it is 7% below the County Laois median of €355k. Its 4.3% gross yield is above the county average of 4.3%.Recent activity in Portarlington: latest recorded sale Jun 2026; 184 new homes approved in the last year; prices +22.2% year on year. This page updates as new official data lands.Get Leinster InsiderPlanning grants, sales and rent updates for your county, weekly, from official data. Free.Subscribe
Local to Portarlington? Estate agents, mortgage brokers and solicitors — reach people researching Portarlington property right here on this page.
Who lives in Portarlington — 61.8% own their home, full Census breakdown
Who lives in Portarlington
9,288 people live in Portarlington on Census 2022 night. 62% of households own their home and 33% rent, so Portarlington leans towards owner occupiers. The most common way to commute is by car (64%). It skews young: 24% are under 15 against 10% aged 65 and over. 30% of those who have finished education hold a third level qualification.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population (2022) | 9,288 |
| Owner-occupied households | 62% |
| Rented households | 33% |
| Aged under 15 | 24% |
| Aged 25 to 44 | 29% |
| Aged 65 and over | 10% |
| Third level or higher | 30% |
| At work (aged 15+) | 54% |
| Unemployment rate | 7% |
| Commute by car | 64% |
| Commute by public transport | 16% |
| Commute on foot or bike | 15% |
Source: CSO Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics for the Portarlington built-up area, CC-BY 4.0.
Getting around and commuting
Nearest train station: Portarlington (1.9 km away), on several Dublin intercity lines
Public transport serving Portarlington — Rail + bus
Getting around Portarlington
Portarlington is served by 4 public-transport operators running 11 scheduled routes. Operators are Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail, JJ Kavanagh, Slieve Bloom Coach Tours and TFI Local Link Laois Offaly.
| Operator | Mode |
|---|---|
| Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail | Rail |
| JJ Kavanagh | Bus / coach |
| Slieve Bloom Coach Tours | Bus / coach |
| TFI Local Link Laois Offaly | Bus / coach |
Scheduled routes
- 806 - Portarlington - Monasterevin
- 827 - Mountmellick - Portarlington - Portlaoise
- 829 - Portlaoise - Portarlington - Tullamore
- LS1 - Borris-in-Ossory - Mount Lucas
- IW04 - Portarlington - Carlow
- UM14 - Portlaoise - Maynooth
- rail - Dublin - Galway
- rail - Dublin - Limerick
- rail - Dublin - Tralee
- rail - Dublin - Westport
- Commuter - Dublin - Portlaoise
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 Portarlington
Driving from Portarlington to Dublin city centre takes about 66 minutes by car on a clear run. That makes it the closest to Dublin of the 2 Laois towns we have routed by road.
| Town | Drive to Dublin |
|---|---|
| Portarlington, Laois This town | 66 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 Portarlington
There are 4 primary and 1 post-primary schools in and around Portarlington.
| School | Level | Pupils | DEIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Íosagáin | Post-primary | 1135 | |
| Scoil Phadraig | Primary | 521 | |
| Presentation Primary School | Primary | 496 | |
| S N Naomh Eoin | Primary | 374 | |
| Scoil Náisiúnta Cúil An Tsúdaire 2 | Primary | 84 |
Source: Department of Education, Data on Individual Schools. CC-BY 4.0.
Things to do in and around Portarlington
- Heritage nearby: Dunamase Castle (15 km) · Timahoe Round Tower (22 km) · Old Kilcullen Monastic Site (29 km)
- Walking trails in County Laois: Barrow Way · Abbeyleix Loops - Collins Bog Loop · Abbeyleix Loops - Killamuck Bog Loop · Brittas Forest Loop
- Nature reserves: Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve · Timahoe Esker Nature Reserve · Coolacurragh Wood Nature Reserve
Where Portarlington is
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
What it costs: house prices and rent in Portarlington
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median sale price (12 mo) | €330,000 (+22.2% YoY) |
| Average monthly rent | €1,188 |
| Gross rental yield | 4.3% |
| Net yield (est.) | 3.4% |
| Laois county median | €355k |
| New build / second-hand | €374,999 / €260,000 |
What this means: New builds in Portarlington sell at about a 44% premium to second-hand homes (€374,999 vs €260,000).
Recent sales in Portarlington
| Date | Address | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 26 | 46 Cushina Avenue, Portarlington | New | €314,537 |
| 17 Jun 26 | 44 Cushina Avenue, Portarlington | New | €308,326 |
| 16 Jun 26 | 45 Cushina Avenue, Portarlington | New | €308,326 |
| 15 Jun 26 | 32 Coill an Easpaig, Portarlington | New | €339,207 |
| 12 Jun 26 | APT 4 BARROW MEWS, LINK ROAD, PORTARLINGTON | Second-hand | €127,500 |
| 11 Jun 26 | 2 MARIAN HILL, PORTARLINGTON, LAOIS | Second-hand | €226,000 |
| 04 Jun 26 | 14 THE BIRCHES, KILNACOURT WOODS, PORTARLINGTON | Second-hand | €200,000 |
| 03 Jun 26 | 27 Coill An Easpaig, Portarlington | New | €339,207 |
Actual sale prices from the Property Price Register, verifiable at propertypriceregister.ie.
Portarlington median price, year by year
| Year | Median | Relative | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | €242,000 | 144 sales | |
| 2024 | €229,250 | 114 sales | |
| 2025 | €286,500 | 138 sales | |
| 2026 | €365,000 | 81 sales |
Average rent by size
| 1-bed | 2-bed | 3-bed | 4+ bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | €1,037 | — | — |
Maximum legal rent increase in Portarlington
Since 1 March 2026 a rent review is capped at the lower of 2% a year (pro rata) or CPI inflation. Enter the current rent and the dates to get the maximum legal rent for Portarlington, using the official CSO figures.
The full March 2026 rent review rules
Portarlington compared with County Laois
| County | Median | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| County Laois median | 355000 | |
| Portarlington | 330000 |
Rent or buy in Portarlington?
At a glance: €330,000 to buy versus €1,188 a month to rent, a 4.3% gross yield. Use the calculator for your own numbers.
Local Property Tax in Portarlington
The median home (€330,000) falls in LPT Band 3, a base charge of €333 a year before Laois County Council's local adjustment factor. Use the calculator for your exact valuation.
Renting in Portarlington: 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.
More free calculators: what can I afford · stamp duty · budget + commute · rent increase cap · Leinster town finder
Before you move: planning and flood
Recent development in Portarlington
In the 12 months to July 2026, 47 planning grants were recorded in and around Portarlington, including 184 new homes approved across those grants.
| Decided | Development | Homes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-11 | amend the design and layout of the development permitted under Laois County Council Reg. Ref. 19/432 (as amended by Laois County Council Reg. Ref... | 97 |
| 2025-07-03 | construct 49 no. residential units to include 27 no. type A, two storey three bed semi-detached , 17 no. type C, two storey two bed terrace and 5 no... | 49 |
| 2026-02-18 | carry out development which will consist of Planning Permission to construct 7 no. 2 bed dormer/storey and a half type dwellings, comprising of a... | 6 |
| 2026-01-19 | construct 4 No. two storey three bedroom dwellings, shared car parking, common amenity space and associated infrastructural connections and site... | 4 |
| 2026-01-08 | construction of new two-storey extension to the front gable of existing dwelling together with all associated site works. Retention permission is... | 3 |
See all recent planning applications in and around Portarlington →
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 184 homes approved here in the last year are about 6% of Portarlington's roughly 3,297 households, a supply pipeline that typically eases price pressure.
Flood maps
For the modelled fluvial, coastal and pluvial flood extents around Portarlington, open the official OPW flood maps, the authoritative source for Portarlington, Laois.
View the official OPW flood maps for Portarlington →
Source: Office of Public Works, floodinfo.ie. No OPW flood-extent values are reproduced here.
County context
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population (2022 Census) | 91,877 |
| Population change 2016 to 2022 | +8.5% |
| Disposable income per person (index, State = 100) | 76.2 |
| New dwelling permissions (Midland region, 2017) | 168 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.
Common questions about living in Portarlington
What's it like to live in Portarlington?
Portarlington is a town in Co. Laois, about 64 minutes from Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line, 5 schools, 61.8% of households own their home (CSO Census 2022, Department of Education, Transport for Ireland).
How much does it cost to live in Portarlington?
A home in Portarlington costs a median €330,000 to buy or €1,188 a month to rent, a 4.3% gross yield (Property Price Register, RTB via CSO).
How long is the commute from Portarlington to Dublin?
About 64 minutes to Dublin city centre by car and on the rail line (OpenStreetMap routing).
What schools are in Portarlington?
Schools in Portarlington include Coláiste Íosagáin, Scoil Phadraig, Presentation Primary School, S N Naomh Eoin, among 4 primary and 1 post-primary in total (Department of Education, 2024/25).
Nearby Laois towns
Portlaoise · Mountmellick · Mountrath
All Laois 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.