Homeowners in Northern Ireland are paying over three times more for home insurance than the rest of the UK on average, according to new data.
Research from CompareNI.com shows that while average premiums have fallen year-on-year across the UK, households here still face dramatically higher costs than any other region – with residents in one council area now forking out an average of over £800 annually.
Even the cheapest NI district has significantly higher premiums than every region in Great Britain.
Northern Ireland recorded the smallest drop in the UK, down 5% year-on-year from £504 to £479. In comparison, premiums across Great Britain fell by an average of 9%, with Londoners enjoying the biggest decrease at 11%.
Despite the overall decline, there are still major disparities in home insurance costs at a local level – with the gulf between the cheapest and most expensive NI districts widening to over £400.
Newry, Mourne and Down remains by far the most expensive area, with average prices rising by 6.5% from £769 to £819. Antrim and Newtownabbey was the only other district to see a rise, up by 3.5% to £456.
At the other end of the scale, Ards and North Down continues to have the lowest average premiums, with costs falling 5.3% to £411.
The biggest year-on-year reductions were seen in Fermanagh and Omagh (-11%), Mid and East Antrim (-8.5%) and Causeway Coast and Glens (-7.4%).
| NI DISTRICT | Q2 2025 AVERAGE PREMIUM | Q2 2026 AVERAGE PREMIUM | ANNUAL % CHANGE |
| Newry, Mourne & Down | £769.00 | £819.22 | 6.5 |
| Derry City & Strabane | £615.36 | £608.53 | -1.1 |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | £584.46 | £519.88 | -11 |
| Mid Ulster | £569.65 | £541.26 | -5 |
| Belfast City Council | £512.53 | £479.11 | -6.5 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | £498.26 | £490.55 | -1.5 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | £496.03 | £459.55 | -7.4 |
| Mid & East Antrim | £466.76 | £427.07 | -8.5 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh | £443.62 | £438.22 | -1.2 |
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | £441.58 | £456.95 | 3.5 |
| Ards & North Down | £434.89 | £411.89 | -5.3 |
Average home insurance premiums across NI districts in Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Northern Ireland’s higher home insurance prices compared to GB are mainly due to a combination of risk and market issues. Building repairs in the region tend to be more expensive because of inflation, labour shortage and material costs, and there are fewer providers here, making costs less competitive than in England, Scotland and Wales.
The region has also been hit by several extreme weather events in recent years, most notably the severe flooding that hit the South East in autumn 2023, inundating hundreds of properties and costing upwards of £40 million worth of damage.*
Homeowners in Newry, Mourne and Down continue to be severely impacted by this event, with premiums in the district rocketing by 235% over the past three years.**
The scale of the incident prompted a government review, which found the flooding was due to “unprecedented” rainfall and warned that “with climate change, the frequency of such events will double”.***
As insurers factor long-term risk into their pricing, this partly explains why premiums in Newry, Mourne and Down remain high and continue to climb, almost three years after the flood waters have subsided.
Ian Wilson, home insurance expert and Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “While it is positive to see home insurance prices dropping across the UK, Northern Ireland is unfortunately not keeping pace with other regions and homeowners here are missing out on big savings.
“While Londoners saw premiums fall by 11%, prices in Northern Ireland dropped by just 5% on average, the smallest reduction anywhere in the UK. Average premiums here are now more than three times higher than across the water, adding extra strain to household budgets that are already being stretched by rising living costs.
“The latest figures also highlight just how much postcodes can influence insurance costs – with the gap between the highest and lowest-priced areas in Northern Ireland continuing to grow over the past year.
“The steady rise in costs in Newry, Mourne and Down shows the lasting impact that extreme weather events can have on insurance prices, with providers factoring increased flood risk into their calculations for years afterwards.
“While location isn’t something that homeowners can easily change, there are still some simple steps they can take to help bring insurance costs down, such as paying annually if possible, reviewing their level of cover and always shopping around.”
Tips to help reduce home insurance costs
- Secure the property – Improving home security makes you less of a risk to insure, so measures like installing a burglar alarm, deadbolts, security cameras or motion sensor lighting could help reduce premiums.
- Choose coverage carefully – Accurately valuing your property and its contents helps ensure you are paying the right price, so only choose the cover you really need and avoid over insuring your house.
- Maintain your home – Keeping on top of minor home repairs can reduce the likelihood of claims and build a no-claims history, demonstrating you are a lower risk to insurers.
- Pay annually – Paying your annual premium in a lump sum, if you can afford it, means you will avoid the interest charges that come with spreading the cost into monthly instalments.
- Shop around – Never allow your policy to auto-renew without shopping around for a cheaper price first.
CompareNI.com can help households across Northern Ireland compare and find savings on their home insurance, as well as niche products such as landlord, holiday home or unoccupied property insurance.
*https://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/officialreport/minutesofevidencereport.aspx?AgendaId=34074&eveID=17285
**https://www.compareni.com/press/home-insurance-costs-nearly-double-across-ni
***https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/infrastructure/review-of-south-east-flooding-report-1aug24.pdf
| UK REGION |
Q2 2025 AVERAGE PREMIUM |
Q2 2026 AVERAGE PREMIUM | ANNUAL %
CHANGE |
| London | £293.33 | £261.14 | -11 |
| South East England | £192.74 | £176.00 | -8.7 |
| East of England | £188.89 | £173.22 | -8.3 |
| Scotland | £170.98 | £158.00 | -7.6 |
| North West England | £163.27 | £146.05 | -10.5 |
| Yorkshire | £161.76 | £149.74 | -7.4 |
| Wales | £161.26 | £146.56 | -9.1 |
| West Midlands | £155.76 | £139.01 | -10.8 |
| South West England | £154.92 | £145.87 | -5.8 |
| East Midlands | £153.00 | £138.11 | -9.7 |
| North East England | £144.36 | £136.85 | -5.2 |
| Northern Ireland | £504.20 | £479.02 | -5 |
Average home insurance premiums across UK regions in Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Photo credit: iStock Ballygally View Images
Ian Wilson – Insurance Expert & Managing Director
Bio: CompareNI.com Managing Director Ian Wilson has been an expert in the price comparison market for over 20 years. As a member of both the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, his expert financial commentary on the Northern Ireland insurance industry is regularly quoted in the national and local press.
