A survey carried out by property website Daft.ie shows that rents last month increased by 10.5% compared with the same month last year.
This is broadly in line with the CSO's latest inflation figures, which show rents up 9.9% in the last year, with a 2.6% rise from January.
The Daft.ie report says the average rent nationwide now stands at €1,334, the highest level for five years.
It says growth has been particularly strong in the cities, with Dublin 2 showing increases of more than 20%.
The survey was based on 25,000 rental properties advertised on the site from December to February.
