The average price of a home in Northern Ireland climbed above £200,000 in the second quarter of 2026, according to official figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra). The typical property was valued at just under £202,500, a level last seen at the end of 2007 shortly before the property market collapsed. Adjusted for inflation, however, homes remain considerably more affordable today than they were at that earlier peak.
How much have prices risen and where?
Nisra's figures show average prices rose by 2.1% between the first and second quarters of 2026, and by 9.2% compared with the same period a year earlier. Lisburn and Castlereagh remains the most expensive council area, with average prices now above £240,000, while Mid and East Antrim is the cheapest, with typical prices just under £178,000.
What's driving the increase?
A resilient jobs market combined with a persistent shortfall in new housing supply has kept upward pressure on prices. New-build completions remain below pre-pandemic levels, hampered by infrastructure constraints, particularly limited capacity in the wastewater network. By contrast, house prices in parts of England, notably London, are falling, meaning Northern Ireland's growth is outpacing much of the rest of the UK.
How do different house types compare?
Detached houses passed the £300,000 threshold in mid-2025 and now average £312,000. Semi-detached properties crossed £200,000 at the start of 2026 and reached £204,000 in the second quarter. Apartments saw the sharpest quarterly jump, rising almost 6% to £148,000 between the first and second quarters — the largest quarterly increase for flats since 2013.
How does this compare with earlier data and other estimates?
Nisra's previous quarterly release had put the average Northern Ireland house price at £193,247, with Lisburn and Castlereagh already the most expensive area at £226,312, according to Nisra's earlier news release. Separately, a private-sector market report from PropertyPal estimated the average Northern Ireland home price at around £240,000 for the second quarter of 2026, with annual growth of 3.8%, according to PropertyPal's Q2 2026 housing market trends report — a notably higher figure than the official statistic, reflecting differing methodologies between data sources. Nisra's index itself is compiled from HMRC stamp duty sales data and tracks average prices, an index value and sales volumes back to the first quarter of 2005, according to Nisra's official house price index page.
Separately, new-build homes have been recording faster price growth than resales of existing properties, with new dwellings up 7.8% in one recent quarter, according to an analysis by Housing Ireland. This pattern of tight new-build supply pushing up prices echoes wider affordability pressures across Northern Ireland's housing market, which the Stormont executive has sought to address through initiatives such as an affordable rental scheme offering homes at 20% below market rent, with the first 300 properties due in Dungannon and other areas, as reported in our earlier coverage of affordable rental homes launching across Northern Ireland.
What happens next?
The Q1 2026 edition of the index had already been published on 20 May 2026, according to a government statistics announcement. Nisra's publication schedule confirms the Q2 2026 report — covering prices from the first quarter of 2005 through to April-June 2026 — was due for release on 19 August 2026 at 9:30am, according to the Department of Finance's upcoming releases page and a corresponding official statistics announcement. Future quarterly updates are expected to continue on the same schedule.
Key Facts
- Average Northern Ireland house price reached just under £202,500 in Q2 2026, up 2.1% quarterly and 9.2% annually.
- Lisburn and Castlereagh is the most expensive council area (above £240,000); Mid and East Antrim the cheapest (just under £178,000).
- Detached houses average £312,000; semi-detached £204,000; apartments £148,000 after a near-6% quarterly rise.
- A separate PropertyPal estimate put average prices around £240,000 for the same quarter, with 3.8% annual growth.
- The Q2 2026 Nisra index was scheduled for publication on 19 August 2026 at 9:30am.
