Living in the city centre can be convenient - your workplace, shopping needs and social life right on your doorstep.

But when everybody else's social life is on your doorstep too, it might be time to build in some distance before sleep deprivation kicks in.

"At the apartment I'm living in at the moment, I'm sharing a room and there's no separate kitchen or living room. It's just very cramped and very noisy and there's always somebody drunk, screaming and shouting outside," says Ms Fionnuala Murphy, who works as an administrator for a recruitment company in Dublin.

Concentrating on the Ranelagh, Rathmines, Rathgar and Terenure areas of south Dublin, Ms Murphy is more than two weeks into her search for somewhere new to rent.

"Anywhere that is halfway decent just has so many people going to see it, it gets snapped up," she sighs.

Ms Murphy aims to be settled into a new place before beginning a postgraduate degree course in DIT Aungier Street in September and hopes her student status won't go against her with potential landlords and housemates.

"Everywhere says professional," she says.

Going back to college means a strict budget of €400 a month, ruling out most one-bedroom apartments and leaving house-sharing as the most realistic option.

"A one-bedroom place is expensive.

"In one place I went to see, the bed was in the sittingroom and that was €130 a week.

"If you're looking for somewhere on your own, you would be paying a minimum of €500 a month. For €600 though, you can get really nice places with a master bedroom and an en suite."

House-hunting also throws up its fair share of design surprises. "There was one place where the wardrobe was in the hallway because the bedroom was so small.

"The main bathroom was downstairs, so you would have to traipse through the kitchen to get to it," Ms Murphy says.

The kitchen is the heart of every home - almost.

"I went to one place that was €530 a month for a short-term lease and it had no kitchen, just a microwave and a kettle," she says.

"The landlord said it wouldn't really be suitable for eating in during the evening.

"What am I supposed to do, go to McDonald's every night?" she asked.

"That kind of thing should be specified in the advertisement, so that I'm not wasting my time or the landlord's time by going to see it.

"I expect it will take about three or four weeks to find somewhere, so it's just a question of keeping at it."