Arklow named best town in Ireland for work-life balance
Olivia Kelleher
Arklow in Co Wicklow has been ranked as the best town in Ireland for work-life balance in a new 2026 Switcher.ie study.
Arklow scooped the top spot as a result of its “surprisingly affordable house prices outside the city” and its “mix of excellent local amenities and good connectivity for hybrid working.” The town also has plenty of green spaces and a scenic coastline to “boost well-being".
The study is based on a range of factors, including access to local amenities such as primary schools, major supermarkets, and leisure centres as well as essentials like broadband and mobile connectivity. House prices, crime rates and proximity to green spaces and transport routes were also considered.
Second on the list for work life balance in towns/cities was Ballina, Co Mayo, followed by Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, Wicklow town, and Cork city.
Ballina, Castlebar in Co Mayo and Enniscorthy have been named as the top three best places to balance work with family life in Ireland.
To calculate the best town to work with a family, Switcher.ie summed index scores for house prices, crime rate, number of GP surgeries and primary schools.
The study named Galway as the best town in which to enjoy the great outdoors and keep fit whilst Dublin, Cork and Kildare are the top three places for telecoms connectivity.
Ballina was named the cheapest town in Ireland whilst Skerries in Co Dublin has been declared the safest. Killarney in Co Kerry, Ballina, and Cavan are ranked as the top spots in Ireland to catch up over coffee or pop to the shops.
To find their top towns, Switcher.ie summed the index scores for the number of major supermarkets and cafes in the area.
Ballina was named the most affordable town to buy a house in Ireland. Houses prices were based on the median house price in October 2025 in the Residential Property Index.
The top five affordable towns to live and work are Ballina, Longford, Letterkenny in Co Donegal, Cavan, and Mallow in Co Cork.
Dublin is the best place for hybrid working; Cork city and areas of Kildare and north Dublin also performed well. To calculate the best towns for hybrid working, they summed index scores for average broadband and mobile speeds and distance to major roads and bus stops. This data was only available at county and city level.
Galway came out on top for access to leisure facilities and green spaces, essential for achieving a good quality of life. The top five places for health and well-being are Galway, Dublin, Wicklow, Cork, and Arklow.
Meanwhile, Commercial Director of Switcher.ie, Eoin Clarke said that the Work-Life Balance Act 2023 ushered in a new era of working arrangements for many employees.
“It meant that workers with families or caregiving responsibilities could seek flexible work options and a better quality of life.
"Property prices are often a crucial factor for homebuyers, but broadband and mobile connectivity, easy access to local amenities, and proximity to green spaces can have a huge impact when juggling work with family or other commitments.
"Switcher's research highlights several towns across Ireland that offer young professionals and working families a mix of affordability, accessibility, a superb quality of life, and excellent broadband and mobile connectivity for remote working.
"Our top performers spanned the country, with Ballina and Sligo on the scenic west coast, Cork in the south, Longford in the heart of Ireland and a cluster of coastal towns on the east coast.”
