Dublin renters now pay over €2,000 a month as housing crisis drives surge in chronic stress

Dublin renters are paying some of the highest rents in Europe

Ireland’s rental shortage has reached historic levels. At points in the past year, fewer than 1,500 homes were available to rent nationwide, an unprecedented supply constraint for a country of over five million people.

The scale of impact is national. More than half of adults aged 18 to 34 are now living with their parents due to housing costs, one of the highest rates in Europe, according to Central Statistics Office data. Large numbers of working adults remain in house shares, temporary accommodation or long-term family homes despite full-time employment, reflecting a fundamental shift in the pathway to independence in Ireland.

Housing costs now place Irish renters under greater financial strain than many European counterparts. Eurostat data shows households in Ireland are among the most likely in the EU to spend a disproportionate share of income on housing, while OECD analysis indicates Irish housing costs have risen significantly faster than wages over the past decade.

Analysis conducted by neurotechnology company Parasym indicates that sustained exposure to financial pressure, housing instability and lack of personal space is consistent with conditions known to drive chronic activation of the body’s stress response.

Robin Edwards, a property buying agent at Curetons, commented:

“What we’re seeing in Ireland at the moment isn’t just a housing shortage, it’s a confidence shortage. Demand is outstripping supply in many urban areas, particularly in Dublin and the commuter belt, and that imbalance is pushing rents and property prices to levels that feel unattainable for ordinary people. Even well-paid professionals are struggling to get on the property ladder and finding themselves repeatedly outbid or facing limited choice, which creates a constant sense of instability.

“The emotional toll is significant. We regularly hear from renters and buyers who are exhausted by the process, saving aggressively, compromising on location or size, and still feeling they’re falling behind. Housing is tied to security, relationships, starting a family and putting down roots. When the path to that feels blocked or endlessly delayed, stress and anxiety naturally follow. It’s not just a supply issue anymore; it’s affecting people’s mental health and overall well-being.”

National tracking surveys show the cost-of-living crisis is the dominant concern for households across Ireland, with housing identified as the single largest contributor to financial pressure. Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute links rising living costs and housing insecurity to increased psychological distress.

When stress becomes prolonged and unavoidable, the biological effects accumulate. Long-term financial insecurity is associated with sustained elevations in stress hormones such as cortisol, reduced heart rate variability and impaired recovery processes. Over time, this can contribute to anxiety, fatigue, sleep disruption and burnout.

Unlike short-term pressures, housing insecurity can persist for years, meaning the body’s threat response system has no clear endpoint.

"It’s not just a supply issue anymore; it’s affecting people’s mental health and overall well-being.”

Shared accommodation and extended family living arrangements can intensify the effect. Privacy, autonomy and control over one’s environment are key signals of safety for the brain. When these are limited, the nervous system struggles to fully switch off.

Ireland’s housing crisis is also delaying relationships, family formation and career mobility for many adults, prolonging uncertainty about the future and extending exposure to stress.

Medical research increasingly shows that chronic stress reshapes the autonomic nervous system, reducing the body’s ability to return to a state of recovery. Prolonged activation of the “fight or flight” response leaves individuals feeling persistently on edge, even without immediate threats.

Parasym’s analysis notes growing attention on nervous system regulation as a public health issue. The company develops neuromodulation technology, including its non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation device Nurosym, designed to activate recovery pathways in the body. Clinical studies involving vagus nerve stimulation have demonstrated improvements in markers of stress resilience, including heart rate variability and anxiety symptoms.

Ireland’s cost-of-living crisis is typically framed in economic terms, but its hidden impact may be physiological. When large sections of the population face sustained financial pressure, housing instability and lack of personal space, the result is not only financial strain but a population living in a near-constant state of biological stress.

With supply still critically constrained and rents continuing to rise, the long-term consequences may extend beyond affordability and into public health.