Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballsh and Elbasan

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,183 in Ballsh, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index

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Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,183

/mo nomad

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballsh and in Elbasan

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Ballsh vs $887 in Elbasan, rent included.

Ballsh $1,183
Elbasan $887

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Ballsh vs $1,399 in Elbasan, rent included.

Ballsh $1,835
Elbasan $1,399

A family of three spends $2,487 per month in Ballsh vs $1,912 in Elbasan, rent included.

Ballsh $2,487
Elbasan $1,912

Ballsh costs about 33% more than Elbasan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ballsh and Elbasan are more affordable than the global median – Ballsh 12% lower, Elbasan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.88 ALL 796

$9.95 ALL 802

-0.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 ALL 4,469

$36.83 ALL 2,967

50.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 ALL 571

$6.76 ALL 544

4.88%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 178

$1.72 ALL 138

28.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ALL 114

$1.40 ALL 113

0.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ALL 68.2

$0.65 ALL 52.7

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 ALL 297

$2.14 ALL 172

71.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ALL 334

$2.74 ALL 220

51.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ALL 176

$1.90 ALL 153

15.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ALL 92.9

$0.94 ALL 75.4

22.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 ALL 190

$1.57 ALL 127

49.68%

Eggs

$3.69 ALL 297

$2.60 ALL 210

41.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.04 ALL 1,051

$10.33 ALL 833

26.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 ALL 757

$5.91 ALL 476

59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 ALL 1,359

$11.30 ALL 910

49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ALL 156

$1.20 ALL 96.8

61.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ALL 202

$2.25 ALL 182

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ALL 180

$1.39 ALL 112

61.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ALL 147

$1.14 ALL 91.6

60.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 85.1

$1.00 ALL 80.2

6.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ALL 101

$1.04 ALL 83.8

20.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 ALL 116

$0.83 ALL 66.6

73.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ALL 65.0

$0.66 ALL 53.5

22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ALL 386

$4.34 ALL 350

10.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 ALL 854

$6.10 ALL 492

73.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ALL 127

$1.02 ALL 82.3

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ALL 163

$1.80 ALL 145

12.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.00

$0.47 ALL 38.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.12 ALL 1,621

$19.64 ALL 1,583

2.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 ALL 301

$3.60 ALL 290

3.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 ALL 294

$1.45 ALL 117

151.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.33 ALL 1,477

$14.57 ALL 1,174

25.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 ALL 196

$2.14 ALL 172

13.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

13.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.9K ALL 2.4M

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

2.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$100 ALL 8,091

$61.7 ALL 4,971

62.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.54 ALL 1,494

$15.34 ALL 1,236

20.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 ALL 1,627

$12.08 ALL 973

67.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 ALL 4,637

$58.0 ALL 4,671

-0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 ALL 1,372

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 ALL 804

$4.41 ALL 355

126.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$351 ALL 28.3K

$142 ALL 11.4K

147.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,208 ALL 661.3K

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

335.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ALL 4,045

$72.7 ALL 5,857

-30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.35 ALL 3,815

$44.03 ALL 3,548

7.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ALL 9,636

$93.4 ALL 7,523

28.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ALL 9,037

$96.4 ALL 7,768

16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 ALL 38.3K

$297 ALL 23.9K

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ALL 25.8K

$208 ALL 16.8K

53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ALL 57.8K

$435 ALL 35.1K

64.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ALL 37.9K

$317 ALL 25.5K

48.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 ALL 159.2K

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

43.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,284 ALL 103.5K

$870 ALL 70.1K

47.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ALL 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

6.1

-15.41%

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

Last update for Ballsh: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ballsh

$320 27.1%

Elbasan

$208 23.5% 35% $112

Groceries & Markets

Ballsh

$291 24.6%

Elbasan

$208 23.4% 28.8% $84

Eating Out

Ballsh

$163 13.7%

Elbasan

$145 16.3% 10.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ballsh

$148 12.5%

Elbasan

$138 15.6% 6.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballsh

$139 11.8%

Elbasan

$89 10.1% 36% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Ballsh

$78 6.6%

Elbasan

$67 7.5% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Ballsh

$44 3.7%

Elbasan

$32 3.7% 26.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $476 in Ballsh versus $297 in Elbasan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Ballsh versus $37 in Elbasan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $208 – making Elbasan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Ballsh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

78,703

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballsh Elbasan 64 km

From you

Ballsh
Elbasan

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

Ballsh vs Elbasan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballsh is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Ballsh and $1,331 in Elbasan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elbasan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $476 in Ballsh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Ballsh and $887 in Elbasan. That makes Elbasan about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $351 per month in Ballsh and $142 in Elbasan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Elbasan, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Ballsh at $1,183. In Elbasan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballsh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elbasan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.