First-time buyers in parts of Dublin are spending up to 40 percent of their income on their mortgage repayments.
That's one of the findings from two new reports into Ireland's housing markets by the ESRI.
When housing affordability was looked at, the study found the average buyer in Wicklow, Kildare and Meath spends at least 30 percent of their monthly income on their home repayments.
While those in Dublin City Centre and Dun Laoghaire are spending up to 40 percent.
ESRI researcher Kieran McQuinn says there's a significant urban/rural divide in the figures;
"In Dublin city and Dublin county you're seeing a ratio of between 30 and 40 percent even. If we look at some of the other cities, so for instance Cork city you're talking about a ratio of over 30 percent, somewhere like Galway you're talking about a ratio in the mid 20's."
In a second study, that compared regional house prices to rents, the ESRI says its found significant house price inflation around the country.
However it says it doesn't see any evidence of a bubble developing in the regional market.
