The cost of buying a home as prices increase 104% since bust [Video]

The cost of buying a home has increased 4.4% in the 12 months to last December as more than 50,000 purchases were made during the year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Prices increased 2.7% in Dublin and 5.7% outside the capital year-on-year as the market continued to grow beyond boom-era highs.

Nationally, property prices are now 7.7% higher than the previous peak recorded in April 2007.

The median price of a dwelling purchased in Ireland last year was €327,500, and the highest and lowest average prices were recorded in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (€622,250) an Leitrim (€165,000), respectively.

A94 (Blackrock) was the most expensive Eircode with a median price of €720,000, while F45 (Castlerea) had the least expensive price of €135,000.

In Dublin, house prices rose 2.7% while apartment prices increased 2.6%, and the fastest rate of growth was seen in South Dublin (+4.3%).

Conversely, Dún Laoghaire had the slowest rate of growth in Dublin …