House prices have increased by an average of 9% across the country in the past year.

The Irish Independent property price survey reveals the biggest increase was in Co Galway, where prices jumped 38% to €165,000.

Dublin 6 has the most expensive houses - averaging more than €1 million - while the best value for money is to be found in Co Leitrim, with houses going for €118,000.

Mark Keenan, Residential Property Editor with the Irish Independent, outlined some of the key findings.

He explained: "The most expensive houses, not surprisingly, are in Dublin. What we're finding is those houses under the magic €170,000 mark, which qualifies most people for a mortgage... there's very few of them left in Dublin.

"The big news this year is we're seeing a big surge in prices in what I would call the outer commuter belt - parts of Wexford, parts of Laois - where people from Dublin haven't bought houses since the boom."

He added: "What's happening now is that rents are becoming just as unaffordable as mortgage payments."