Interest rates being paid by Irish homeowners on their mortgages have increased by an average of 0.15 percentage points since last summer.
The latest retail interest rate statistics published by the Central Bank, to the end of November 2012, show the average interest rate being paid on outstanding mortgages with more than five years to run rose from 2.84% to 2.99% between September and November.
That represents a 5% increase in monthly interest payments.
The average rate in Ireland still compares well the euro zone average of 3.6%. Irish homeloan rates for outstanding mortgages tend to be lower than in other member states because the relatively higher proportion of homeowners in the country who hold tracker loans.
With the European Central Bank's main refinancing rate at a historic low of 1% tracker mortgages, which are set relative to that rate, are much lower than standard variable or fixed rates.
Prospective home buyers in Ireland face higher costs than their euro area peers, however. The weighted average interest rate for a new mortgage at the end of November was 3.35%, up from 3.23% the previous month. The weighted average takes account of both initial fixed rate periods and variable rates available in the market.
The euro zone average was 2.87%.
