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- Finding a Home
- Taxes
- Utilities
- Childcare
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Finding a Home
For new staff and students relocating to Armagh Observatory & Planetarium we can provide on-site accommodation, subject to availability for you and your family at reasonable cost whilst you look for more permanent accommodation. We can also support you to look for accommodation locally.
Property rental prices compare very favourably with other cities in Northern Ireland and GB where similar scientific research facilities exist. Prices are more on a par with other small regional cities such as Newry, Ballymena and Derry/Londonderry.
According to home.co.uk, the average rent per calendar month (pcm) for a one-bedroom property in Armagh is £495 rising to £642 pcm for a two-bedroom property and £705 for a three-bedroom property (Jun 2022). This compares favourably with Belfast where similar properties are, on average, 30% to 35% higher. Compared to GB regional cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff, rental costs for similar properties are 20% to 50% lower in Armagh.
Average house prices for the 1st quarter of 2022 in the local council area were around 12-14% lower than the Northern Ireland average. The cost of an average house was listed as £146,577.
There are a number of real estate agents in the Armagh area but the PropertyPal website will give you an indication of properties to rent or buy in the area.
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Taxes
You should be aware that in Northern Ireland there is an annual property tax on domestic properties known as domestic rates. If you rent a property with a capital value of £150,000 or less, your landlord is responsible for rates and it should be included in your rent, however, should you decide to rent a property with a higher value you will be responsible for paying rates unless your landlord has agreed otherwise. More information is available from the nidirect.gov.uk website.
In Northern Ireland you pay income tax and national insurance. You can estimate your take home pay from your salary by using the HMRC Take Home Pay Calculator. This calculator does not include any pension contributions you make.
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Utilities
There are currently no charges for domestic water supplies in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland based Consumer Council website has a useful tool to help you compare prices between electricity and gas suppliers in Northern Ireland.
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Childcare
The most recent Northern Ireland Childcare Cost Survey listed full-time weekly childcare costs for Northern Ireland at around £170 for a day nursery and £169 for a childminder. The survey lists the average Northern Ireland out of school childcare costs for school age children as £89 per week.
Further information on living in Northern Ireland can be found on the government services nidirect website at: nidirect – Living in Northern Ireland