Kildare remains the third most expensive county in Ireland to buy a house as figures continue to grow

The price of buying a home in Kildare remains extremely high according to the latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office, which outlined how Kildare is the third most expensive county in which to buy a home.

The cost of buying a house is on average €254,285 in Kildare, some way short of Wicklow which is the second most expensive county to buy a home, where the average price is €313,023. All four areas of Dublin - South Dublin, Fingal, Dublin City and Dun Laoighre/Rathdowney - are more expensive for house buyers, with the average price in DL/Rathdowney coming in at €555,346.

Meath is the next county in the list behind Kildare, with houses costing an average of €229,540 in the Royal County, while Longford is the cheapest county in Ireland to buy a house in, with the average price in the Midlands just €87,584.

Despite the continued growth of house prices in Ireland, where the figures have risen by almost 11 per cent since February of last year, the average price is still more than 30 per cent below the peaks of 2007.

The rise in house prices is being blamed on a housing shortage, with the number of homes for sale reaching a historic low of 22,100 in January.