How expensive is Albania

Maybe as a tourist, you want to know how expensive is Albania. Albania is an emerging destination and a relatively cheap country. In this article, we will present to you the prices of the essential thing to live. 

Rent and hotels

Let’s start with the price of rent if you want to stay for a long time and the prices of the hotels if you are coming for a short term visit.  In Albania, you can stay in a hotel, hostel, guesthouse or you can rent a house. Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in an expensive area is 63,336 Lek. Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in the normal area is 35,807 Lek.

Some other things you might need are internet, laundry detergent or cleaning help. If you would like to have internet 8 Mbps (1 month), it costs 1,533 Lek.  Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) might cost 669 Lek and the hourly rate for cleaning help is 471 Lek.

Now check the table below to see how expensive is Albania for a tourist to stay in a hotel or hostel in Albania.

Average hotel price in Albania is:	47 USD	36 GBP	42 EURO	314 CNY
Hostels prices in Albania are around:	15 USD	11 GBP	13 EURO	98 CNY
Price of 1-star hotel in Albania is around:	32 USD	25 GBP	29 EURO	219 CNY
Price of 2-star hotel in Albania is around:	39 USD	30 GBP	35 EURO	264 CNY
Price of 3-star hotel in Albania is around:	44 USD	34 GBP	39 EURO	293 CNY
Price of 4-star hotel in Albania is around:	61 USD	47 GBP	54 EURO	407 CNY
Price of 5-star hotel in Albania is around:	83 USD	64 GBP	74 EURO	556 CNY

Food & Drink Prices

 If you indulge in the national pastime of drinking coffee in a cafe several times a day, that’s not going to set you back much. Espresso is typically 0.88 USD or 0.79 EUR and it’s only slightly more for an Americano or cappuccino. The dinner for three is 1950 lek if it includes fish, vegetables, rice, and three large beers. That’s 15 EUR. If the diner includes meatballs, dill yogurt dip, salad, and bread it costs to €2 per person including two beers. If you would order a sandwich at a local kebab place, it might be around €1.50.

Here are some examples of other food prices to help you understand how expensive is Albania:

Meal in a cheap restaurant	5.40 USD (4.10-7.20)	4.90 EUR (3.60-6.50)
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	23 USD (18-27)	20 EUR (16-24)
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	4.50 USD (3.20-5.40)	4.00 EUR (2.80-4.90)
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)	1.40 USD (0.91-1.80)	1.20 EUR (0.81-1.60)
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	1.70 USD (1.10-2.70)	1.50 EUR (1.00-2.40)
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)	1.10 USD (0.63-1.40)	1.00 EUR (0.57-1.20)
Water (0.33 liter bottle)	0.55 USD (0.45-0.81)	0.49 EUR (0.41-0.73)
Cappuccino (regular)	1.30 USD (0.91-1.40)	1.10 EUR (0.81-1.20)
Espresso Coffee	0.88 USD (0.63-0.95)	0.79 EUR (0.57-0.85)
Cheeseburger (fastfood)	1.30 USD (0.95-1.60)	1.20 EUR (0.85-1.50)

Tipping

Tipping is appreciated in restaurants (10% is normal) and expected in fancier places. In cafes and bars it’s polite to leave some change but i don’t think it is expensive for anyone.

Transportation Prices

If you live in Albania full-time and have a car, that part is expensive in Albania. Automobiles are more expensive here than they are in many other European countries, plus gas prices are quite high considering what salaries are like. You can easily spend €20,000 on a basic compact manual sedan. Gasoline (1 liter) is around 1.60 USD or 1.40 EUR. Because of the high car prices though, it’s tough to find a rental car for less than €50 per day. A hotel or agency can usually hook you up with a driver for less than that.

Taxis are metered and a bit over two Euros to start, then about €0.65 for each km. This goes up during the night and if you’re going really far they might just quote you a price.

Healthcare

Be prepared to pay 10-25 euros to see a doctor privately. General physicians will be cheaper than a doctor who specializes in specific or advanced treatments for certain disorders and diseases. In regards to pharmacies, most antibiotics should be less than 5 Euros. Other prescription medications for disorders and diseases could be 15-25 Euros.

Going Out

Social life varies from person-to-person of course. Just like in other countries, also in Albania, it can be expensive or not. A nice club in Tirana might cost you 15-20 Euros by the end of the night. If you stick to a pub or a small bar, you could spend 10-15 Euros the whole night. Restaurants as well vary. If you go to the trendy restaurants in the city center, you could spend 15-20 Euros for some sort of main dish and a couple of drinks. But you can also find restaurants where you can do the same and spend no more than 10 Euros, especially if you are just drinking beer.

Some other prices of how expensive is Albania for sports and fun

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	31 USD (27-41)	27 EUR (24-36)
Tennis court rent (1 hour during a weekend)	8.20 USD (4.50-14)	7.40 EUR (4.10-12)
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4.50 USD (4.50-6.30)	4.10 EUR (4.10-5.70)

ATMs are widely available in most towns. Acceptance of credit cards normally confined to upper-end hotels, restaurants, and shops, although every year their usage becomes more widespread.

Click here for ATM machines in Albania without a fee.

Find how expensive is Albania in this article.