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15th July 2021
05:15pm BST

As surprising as it may seem, Dublin is only the fifth most expensive city to rent in Europe. Topping that list, as per The Irish Times, are London, Zurich, and Geneva. Paris, Rome, and Valencia follow our own capital city lower down the list.
Lower still are the likes of Berlin, the capital city of a country of people who are more than happy to rent indefinitely, rather than buy. Just a decade ago, rentals made up a whopping 90% of residential properties in Berlin, meaning that rents were largely affordable - they had to be, there was so much choice.
Here in Dublin, the options are not quite so promising. Not only is there a shortage of houses for people to live in, but much of what is available is often criticised for being old, far too small, and essential inhabitable. Just take a look at District Magazine's Living Hell series, or most one bed rentals below €1,200 p/m on Daft (that aren't student accommodation, which most of them are).
Out of every city on the continent, for Dublin to be ranked fifth for the most expensive rent is pretty abysmal - but the figures for buyers aren't much better. House prices across the country continue to rise, with the Central Bank stating that the surge is expected to continue well into 2021 and beyond.
As the saying goes: what goes up must come down, but will there be anyone still here to experience that supposed drop we've been promised is coming?
I don't want to buy a house because I don't know where I want to settle - but I also don't want to buy a house because I can't afford to.
The prospect of applying for a mortgage in Ireland and adequately saving for a deposit is so far beyond anything I could manage at the moment - that's with a full time job, a partner, and a decent credit rating.
Buying is not accessible to me right now, it's also undesirable. I don't want to save three quarters of my wages every month. I don't want to move home to do that. I don't want to pour my life into a property on county border lines and be stuck there forever.
The options for young people in Ireland right now are dire. For the first time ever, this generation will have it worse than the last - economically, financially, and considering the seven hotels now present on every corner, socially.
There is very little to do and there is very little to look forward to. Where young people were once faced with a myriad of choices - where to live, where to work, where to go out at night - the options have stagnated and left just two: stay, or go?