Housing crisis and youth emigration

Sir, – I would like to respond to Leo Varadkar’s recent comments about the housing crisis and youth emigration. Specifically, “You’re not going to find that rents are lower in New York, or that it’s easier to buy a house in Sydney. It might be the case if you go to a very rural area or a third- or fourth-tier city but that can be true in Ireland too, so sometimes the grass looks greener” (“‘Grass looks greener’ but young people won’t find lower rents emigrating, Tánaiste says”, News, November 20th).

I wrote a piece a few months ago about living in Brussels, where I was able to a rent a room in a three-bed apartment in a great location for less than €500 a month, bills included (“Driven out of the land of a thousand welcomes”, Abroad, June 13th). I returned to Ireland in September for work and struggled to find somewhere to rent. I’m now in a 1970s four-bed house in Santry in Dublin, where I’m paying around €650 to €700 a month with bills. I pay an additional €80 to €100 month on the bus for an hourly commute 8km into the city centre every day. I never know if I’ll be on time or not because the buses are so unreliable. My 6km commute to work in Brussels took 20 minutes and cost a maximum of €50 a month for an unlimited monthly urban travel pass.

In the last year, rents have increased sharply and rental supply has collapsed by almost 60 per cent. Coupled with general cost of living spikes, poor infrastructure, poor quality nightlife and rising inequality, Ireland has become a dire place to spend your 20s.

It’s no wonder 67 per cent of those under 24 are considering emigrating. As someone who recently returned and have a first-hand comparison, I would be encouraging them to go. Once my contract is up in this job, I’ll likely emigrate again myself. The grass absolutely is “greener” in many other places. – Yours, etc,