Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albania and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Albania: $1,217 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Albania
Italy
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,217
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albania and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albania and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,217 per month in Albania vs $1,843 in Italy, rent included.

  • Albania $1,217
  • Italy $1,843

A couple spends around $1,876 per month in Albania vs $2,816 in Italy, rent included.

  • Albania $1,876
  • Italy $2,816

A family of three spends $2,534 per month in Albania vs $3,788 in Italy, rent included.

  • Albania $2,534
  • Italy $3,788

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,038–$2,555) than in Albania ($750–$1,401), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Albania is roughly 34% lower than in Italy on average.

Albania sits 11% below the global median, while Italy is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Albania
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.07 ALL 818
$20.46 €18.32
-50.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.72 ALL 3,470
$79.5 €71.2
-46.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.72 ALL 708
$11.15 €9.99
-21.79%
Cappuccino
$2.12 ALL 172
$2.04 €1.83
3.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ALL 172
$3.10 €2.78
-31.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 ALL 77.4
$1.40 €1.25
-32.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 ALL 219
$5.51 €4.94
-51.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 ALL 300
$5.74 €5.14
-35.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Albania
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 ALL 180
$1.57 €1.41
40.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 ALL 90.3
$2.38 €2.13
-53.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 ALL 190
$2.90 €2.60
-19.31%
Eggs
$3.59 ALL 292
$4.07 €3.65
-11.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.54 ALL 1,019
$17.44 €15.62
-28.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 ALL 699
$12.56 €11.25
-31.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.25 ALL 1,239
$20.17 €18.06
-24.39%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 ALL 139
$2.58 €2.31
-33.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.50 ALL 203
$2.19 €1.96
14.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 ALL 151
$2.68 €2.40
-30.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.69 ALL 138
$3.27 €2.93
-48.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 ALL 86.2
$1.90 €1.70
-44.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ALL 94.5
$1.82 €1.63
-36.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 ALL 104
$1.57 €1.40
-17.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ALL 64.0
$0.55 €0.49
43.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.65 ALL 378
$6.69 €5.99
-30.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.66 ALL 785
$7.99 €7.15
20.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ALL 132
$1.77 €1.59
-7.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ALL 168
$2.35 €2.11
-12.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Albania
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 ALL 38.16
$1.91 €1.71
-75.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 ALL 1,602
$43.44 €38.90
-54.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.78 ALL 307
$5.62 €5.03
-32.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.60 ALL 293
$1.71 €1.54
110.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.46 ALL 1,499
$33.64 €30.12
-45.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 ALL 190
$2.03 €1.82
15.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K ALL 2.8M
$35.3K €31.6K
-3.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K ALL 2.3M
$36.7K €32.9K
-23.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Albania
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.2 ALL 7,405
$227 €203
-59.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.83 ALL 1,529
$11.59 €10.38
62.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.05 ALL 1,547
$30.38 €27.21
-37.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Albania
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.5 ALL 4,100
$51.8 €46.37
-2.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.87 ALL 1,939
$23.70 €21.22
0.72%
Cinema Ticket
$9.82 ALL 797
$10.60 €9.50
-7.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Albania
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$277 ALL 22.5K
$568 €508
-51.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,515 ALL 529.1K
$11.5K €10.3K
-43.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Albania
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.1 ALL 5,125
$90.5 €81.1
-30.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.16 ALL 3,830
$38.55 €34.53
22.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ALL 9,245
$103 €91.9
10.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 ALL 9,657
$131 €117
-9.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Albania
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$561 ALL 45.6K
$826 €739
-32.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$380 ALL 30.9K
$646 €579
-41.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$973 ALL 79.0K
$1,400 €1,254
-30.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$605 ALL 49.2K
$1,054 €944
-42.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,786 ALL 226.2K
$3,662 €3,280
-23.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,658 ALL 134.7K
$2,301 €2,061
-27.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Albania
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$748 ALL 60.8K
$1,886 €1,689
-60.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.17
3.56
45.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albania: October 27, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Albania
$380
Italy
$646 69.9% $266
Groceries & Markets
Albania
$274
Italy
$348 26.7% $73
Eating Out
Albania
$165
Italy
$279 68.5% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Albania
$154
Italy
$163 5.8% $8.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Albania
$129
Italy
$269 108% $139
Sport & Entertainment
Albania
$70
Italy
$73 4.1% $2.9
Getting Around
Albania
$43
Italy
$65 50.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $469 in Albania vs $729 in Italy. For reference, capital cities sit at $810 in Tirana and $1,297 in Rome.

Average salary: $684 in Albania vs $1,890 in Italy. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 74% more in Italy.

Public transport is 115% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.8 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇦🇱 Albania
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
23:28 11:28 PM
23:28 11:28 PM
Same time as Albania
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,811,655
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Albania Italy 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Albania
  • Italy

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Albania vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Albania and Italy compare in cost of living?
Albania is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 34% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Albania and Italy?
Housing costs more in Italy: a central one-bedroom averages $729 versus $469 in Albania.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Albania or Italy?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Albania – part of why living there is about 34% cheaper overall.
How do I choose between living in Albania and in Italy?
Albania is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Albania vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?