Castlebar and Ballina, both in Co Mayo, came in first and second in a new ranking of Ireland's best towns for work-life balance by energy price comparison site Switcher.ie.
Castlebar ranks as the best town in Ireland to achieve a healthy work-life balance, followed by Ballina, also in Co Mayo.
Longford Town, Wexford Town, and Arklow in Co Wicklow complete the top five.
Castlebar claimed the top spot as the best place to strike the perfect work-life balance in Ireland. Not only are house prices lower than others on the Switcher.ie list, but it offers a winning mix of great local amenities, good connectivity for hybrid working, and plenty of green spaces.
Ireland's top 10 towns for work-life balance
- Castlebar, Co Mayo
- Ballina, Co Mayo
- Longford, Co Longford
- Wexford, Co Wexford
- Arklow, Co Wicklow
- Wicklow, Co Wicklow
- Cavan, Co Cavan
- Ashbourne, Co Meath
- Athlone, Co Westmeath
- Athy, Co Kildare
For the study, Switcher.ie compared work essentials such as broadband speed and mobile coverage in addition to local amenities such as local schools, GP surgeries, and major supermarkets.
It also compared a number of factors pivotal for well-being, including access to green spaces, cafés, and leisure facilities.
Average house prices, commute times, and crime rate also formed part of the study.
Using the different factors, Switcher.ie created a Work-Life Balance Index to rank the best and worst place to juggle work, family, and pleasure.
Ireland's top 5 affordable towns to live and work
Longford was the most affordable town to buy a house in our study. House prices were based on the average house price in October 2023 (Residential Property Price Index).
- Longford,
- Ballina
- Cavan
- Letterkenny
- Sligo
Ireland's top 5 towns for families to live and work
Ballina has taken the top spot for the best place to balance work with a family. To calculate the best town to work with a family, we summed index scores for house prices, crime rate, number of GP surgeries, and primary schools.
- Ballina
- Longford
- Castlebar
- Enniscorthy
- Cavan
Ireland's top 5 towns for hybrid working
Galway was the best place for hybrid working - a great way to achieve work-life balance. To calculate the best town for hybrid working we summed index scores for average broadband speed, 5G mobile coverage and distance to major roads and bus stops.
- Galway
- Carlow
- Mullingar
- Swords
- Balbriggan
Ireland's top 5 towns for health & wellbeing
Cavan came in tops for leisure facilities and green spaces - essential for achieving a good quality of life. To rank our towns we summed the index scores for count of public and community sports facilities, leisure centres, national and public parks and gardens.
- Cavan
- Athy
- Ballina
- Ashbourne
- Killarney
Ireland's top 5 towns to shop, eat and refresh
Castlebar was the best place to pop to the shops, grab a bite to eat or catch up over coffee. To find our top towns we summed the index scores for count of major supermarkets and cafes in the area.
- Castlebar
- Wexford
- Athlone
- Arklow
- Wicklow
The study came after the Irish Government passed the Work-Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act last year, which provides new rights for employees to support a better balance of family life, work life, and caring responsibilities.
Eoin Clarke, Commercial Director at Switcher.ie, said that the study would help Irish employees decide where to work if they choose to work remotely.
"Once the Code of Practice is in place to support the Work-Life Balance Act 2023, many employees will have the right to request remote and flexible working arrangements," Clarke said.
"This means that hard-working Irish residents, many with families or carer responsibilities, should benefit from a better quality of life and a financial boost.
"The good news is all the top towns in our study have lots to offer. Whether working remotely or commuting, there's a good choice of affordable, well-served towns to raise a family or simply enjoy life."
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