Just 5.5% of rental housing stock across the country is within Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits.
That is according to a new report by the Simon Communities which examined homes for those at risk of homelessness.
It shows there is a shortage of one-bedroom housing for single people and couples in all areas covered by the study.
Just 97 out of 1,753 properties were available to rent during the three-day snapshot study were within standard Housing Assistance Payment limits.
There were only six properties available to rent for single people and 14 for couples within standard HAP limits.
Simon Communities spokesperson Wayne Stanley says more family homes are being made available but it is harder for others.
"There has been a significant increase in terms of what you can get using discretionary HAP but most of that is concentrated in the Dublin area and most of that is family homes so there is a really significant gap there when you're talking about single people or couples," said Mr Stanley.
During the three-day study, there were no HAP homes for single people or couples in five parts of the country.
"There were no properties available to rent within standard or discretionary HAP limits for a single person or couple in Limerick City, Waterford City, Portlaoise, Galway city centre or city suburbs.
"There was only one or two properties in Limerick City, Sligo, Dundalk and Athlone."
