Living in Kells

In Kells, tenants pay an average rent of €1,290 a month (2025) and unemployment is 12% (2022).

Kells, a city in Ireland, had a population of 6,608 in April 2022. In April 2022, the foreign population was 814.

Last checked 2026-10-0711 sources

Population6,608people3 Apr 2022Official source · CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size

Median gross salary (region)3,969EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2025)

Average rent1,290EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · RTB/ESRI Average Monthly Rent Report (CSO table RIA02), all bedrooms, all property types

Unemployment rate12%country median 9.4% — 28% aboveOfficial source · CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town

Recorded crime4,566incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Regional figureOfficial source · CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter

PM2.5, annual mean8µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu

Which Ireland-wide rules apply when you move to Kells?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in IrelandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Kells.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Kells. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€76

Mobile plan, 10 GB€40

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	75.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir 500 Mbps broadband⁸Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	39.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	eir Mobile Essential⁹Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,290 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	RTB/ESRI Average Monthly Rent Report (CSO table RIA02), all bedrooms, all property types¹¹Official

Is Kells a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker28%strong on work, weak on safety · range 18–38%

Skilled employee51%strong on work, weak on education · range 42–60%

Student38%strong on cost, weak on education · range 27–49%

Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 35–57%

Retirement38%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 25–51%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kells?

The unemployment rate is 12 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town⁷

Unemployment across cities in IrelandUnemployment in Kells is 12.0%. Of 90 cities with data, 21 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–18

Kells 12.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	4,928 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2025)¹⁰Official · county
Median gross salary (regional)	3,969 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2025)¹⁰Official · county
Unemployment rate	12 %country median 9.4%	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Kells?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,799of €3,205 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.	€3,205
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · RTB/ESRI Average Monthly Rent Report (CSO table RIA02), all bedrooms, all property types · 2025-12-31	− €1,290
Internet€76 · official · eir 500 Mbps broadband · 2026-09-30	− €76
Mobile plan€40 · official · eir Mobile Essential · 2026-09-30	− €40
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,799

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Kells Salary needed to live in Kells

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kells. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Intreo employment service — Public employment service

Department of Social Protection, Ireland

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Ireland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Kells. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,566 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter³Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Kells. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Education and Training Board adult English language skills and ESOL — State Language Course

The 16 Education and Training Boards across Ireland

For adult migrants, refugees, adults who need to improve English.

EnglishFree

Open official information

Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs) — Newcomer Adaptation

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

For new arrivals, people who applied for International Protection, refugees, people from Ukraine.

EnglishIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Ireland section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kells.

Find courses near Kells

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Kells?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: air.discomap.eea.europa.eu¹

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.58WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in IrelandAnnual PM2.5 in Kells is 8.0 µg/m³. Of 68 cities with data, 23 have annual PM2.5 of 7 to under 8 µg/m³.

5–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–13

Kells 8.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	air.discomap.eea.europa.eu¹Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Population and city profile

How many people live in Kells?

The published population was 6,608 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport87.7%
Foreign residents12.3%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign-resident share	12.5 %	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁵Official
Foreign residents	814 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence⁵Official
Female residents	3,360 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁶Official
Male residents	3,248 people	31 Dec 2022	Central Statistics Office Ireland (CSO)⁶Official
Population	6,608 people	3 Apr 2022	CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size⁶Official

International community in Kells

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	6,554	100.0%
Ireland	5,304	80.9%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	412	6.3%
United Kingdom	328	5.0%
Rest of World	288	4.4%
Poland	211	3.2%
India	11	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Citizenship

Usually resident population by birthplace or citizenship; source-native CSO table · 2022

Published group	People	Share
Total	6,554	100.0%
Ireland	5,545	84.6%
Other EU272020 (Exec Ireland & Poland)	381	5.8%
Not stated	196	3.0%
Poland	192	2.9%
Rest of World	135	2.1%
United Kingdom	92	1.4%
India	13	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Citizenship

Population Usually Resident and Present in the State · 2022

Published group	People	Share
All citizenships	6,562	100.0%
Ireland	5,548	84.5%
Poland	193	2.9%
Citizenship not stated	189	2.9%
Lithuania	145	2.2%
Romania	100	1.5%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)	92	1.4%
Other EU27 (2020)	48	0.7%
Africa(1)	46	0.7%
Croatia	35	0.5%

Show 17 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Other Asia(1)	35	0.5%
Latvia	32	0.5%
India	13	0.2%
United States of America (the)	11	0.2%
No citizenship	11	0.2%
Brazil	10	0.2%
Germany	8	0.1%
Rest of Europe(1)	7	0.1%
Ukraine	6	0.1%
Spain	5	0.1%
Italy	5	0.1%
Other America(1)	5	0.1%
Multiple/Dual citizenship	5	0.1%
Australia	4	0.1%
China	4	0.1%
Other countries	4	0.1%
France	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Alternatives for people set on Kells

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Trim as a Kells alternative in the same region

20 km away, better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Unemployment: 7.9% Trim vs 12.0% Kells−34%
Residents: 9,563 Trim vs 6,608 Kells+45%
Foreign residents: 13.7% Trim vs 12.5% Kells+9%
Median gross pay, region: €3,969 Trim vs €3,969 Kellssame level
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,566 Trim vs 4,566 Kellssame level

Full comparison More about Trim

Galway city and suburbs as a Kells alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 151 km, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 85,910 Galway city and suburbs vs 6,608 Kells+1200%
Foreign residents: 18.2% Galway city and suburbs vs 12.5% Kells+46%
Median gross pay, region: €3,566 (2024) Galway city and suburbs vs €3,969 (2025) Kellsno percentage
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,247 Galway city and suburbs vs 4,566 Kells−7%

Full comparison More about Galway city and suburbs

Cities near Kells

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Ireland

Other cities in Ireland to compare with Kells, nearest in population first.

All Ireland cities

Ballinasloe6,597 residents Dunshaughlin6,644 residents Roscommon6,555 residents Fermoy6,720 residents Westport6,872 residents Loughrea6,322 residents

How does Kells compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Kells's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kells when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: English as additional language support (whole-school approach, National Strategy Literacy and Numeracy 2011). How to enrol a child (gov.ie).

A country-wide rule for Ireland; Kells's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Kells?

The published population was 6,608 people in April 2022. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size.

Is the air quality good in Kells?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: air.discomap.eea.europa.eu.

What is the unemployment rate in Kells?

The unemployment rate is 12 % (April 2022). Source: CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town.

What is the typical salary around Kells?

The median gross salary is 3,969 EUR/month. Source: NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2025).

How many foreign residents live in Kells?

814 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence.

Is Kells a good place to live?

Kells may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Kells?

Trim is near Kells. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Ireland live in Kells?

The official country of birth distribution records 5,304 people (80.9%) in the source-defined population for 2022. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Kells, Ireland: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version a05fdb6c652096c95f3542be152b43a0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/kells/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kells-ireland-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_3be7bd66a017,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kells, Ireland: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {a05fdb6c652096c95f3542be152b43a0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/kells/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kells, Ireland: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ie/kells/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version a05fdb6c652096c95f3542be152b43a0; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

air.discomap.eea.europa.eu air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-26
Central Statistics Office Ireland country of birth distribution ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-08-28
CJQ05 — Recorded crime incidents by Garda Region, Type of Offence, and Quarter CJQ05 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-10-05
Coordinate identity evidence services-eu1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
CSO Census 2022 F5003 — population by citizenship and town of usual residence CSO Census 2022 F5003 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
CSO Census 2022 F5134 — Built Up Areas / Towns by Size CSO Census 2022 F5134 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-14
CSO Census 2022 F7115 — unemployment rate by town CSO Census 2022 F7115 · ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-07-27
eir 500 Mbps broadband eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
eir Mobile Essential home.eir.ie · checked 2026-09-15
NEA05: Mean & Median Annual Earnings by Sex & NUTS 3 Region (2011–2025) ws.cso.ie · checked 2026-10-07

Show 1 more source

RTB/ESRI Average Monthly Rent Report (CSO table RIA02), all bedrooms, all property types data.cso.ie · checked 2026-09-18

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.