Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballsh and Sarande

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,182 a month against $1,298 in Sarande, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
Learn more

Ballsh Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
Learn more

Sarande Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,182

/mo nomad

Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballsh and in Sarande

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 Sarande actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Ballsh vs $1,298 in Sarande, rent included.

Ballsh $1,182
Sarande $1,298

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Ballsh vs $2,205 in Sarande, rent included.

Ballsh $1,821
Sarande $2,205

A family of three spends $2,461 per month in Ballsh vs $3,111 in Sarande, rent included.

Ballsh $2,461
Sarande $3,111

Ballsh is about 9% cheaper than Sarande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ballsh and Sarande are more affordable than the global median – Ballsh 13% lower, Sarande 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.85 ALL 793

$10.02 ALL 807

-1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ALL 4,422

$54.7 ALL 4,404

0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 ALL 554

$11.26 ALL 907

-38.90%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 178

$2.22 ALL 179

-0.45%

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

$1.48 ALL 119

$2.38 ALL 192

-37.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ALL 67.3

$1.17 ALL 94.4

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 ALL 279

$3.48 ALL 281

-0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ALL 334

$4.03 ALL 324

2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ALL 175

$2.22 ALL 179

-2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ALL 92.1

$1.15 ALL 92.8

-0.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ALL 190

$2.35 ALL 190

0.43%

Eggs

$3.76 ALL 303

$3.84 ALL 309

-2.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 ALL 1,026

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 ALL 738

$9.20 ALL 741

-0.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 ALL 1,356

$17.09 ALL 1,377

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ALL 151

$1.94 ALL 156

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ALL 197

$2.48 ALL 200

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ALL 177

$2.00 ALL 161

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ALL 146

$1.90 ALL 153

-4.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ALL 80.8

$1.02 ALL 82.4

-1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 105

$1.26 ALL 101

3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ALL 119

$1.52 ALL 123

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ALL 59.1

$0.79 ALL 63.3

-7.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.77 ALL 384

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 ALL 844

$7.23 ALL 582

44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ALL 125

$1.64 ALL 132

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.02 ALL 162

1.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.48

$1.11 ALL 89.0

-56.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.90 ALL 1,603

$22.67 ALL 1,826

-12.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ALL 297

$3.81 ALL 307

-3.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 ALL 294

$3.80 ALL 306

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 ALL 1,453

$18.27 ALL 1,472

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 ALL 187

$2.18 ALL 176

6.42%

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

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

$33.9K ALL 2.7M

-1.24%

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

$36.0K ALL 2.9M

$27.8K ALL 2.2M

29.63%

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

$97.3 ALL 7,839

$98.5 ALL 7,935

-1.22%

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

$17.99 ALL 1,448

$18.17 ALL 1,463

-0.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.89 ALL 1,602

$19.46 ALL 1,567

2.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 ALL 4,565

$90.7 ALL 7,300

-37.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.51 ALL 3,262

Cinema Ticket

$9.79 ALL 789

$9.83 ALL 792

-0.41%

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

$344 ALL 27.7K

$302 ALL 24.3K

13.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,407 ALL 677.0K

$8,070 ALL 649.9K

4.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.22 ALL 3,963

$72.2 ALL 5,817

-31.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ALL 3,849

$48.20 ALL 3,882

-0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ALL 9,449

$120 ALL 9,678

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ALL 8,936

$112 ALL 8,999

-0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 37.7K

$851 ALL 68.5K

-44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ALL 26.7K

$379 ALL 30.5K

-12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ALL 56.3K

$1,110 ALL 89.4K

-37.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 ALL 37.8K

$942 ALL 75.9K

-50.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ALL 150.1K

$4,516 ALL 363.6K

-58.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,245 ALL 100.3K

$2,812 ALL 226.4K

-55.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 ALL 61.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.16

4.46%

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

Last update for Ballsh: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sarande: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballsh

$332 28.1%

Sarande

$379 29.2% 14.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Ballsh

$287 24.3%

Sarande

$284 21.9% 1.2% $3.5

Eating Out

Ballsh

$161 13.6%

Sarande

$180 13.9% 12.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ballsh

$146 12.4%

Sarande

$159 12.2% 8.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballsh

$135 11.4%

Sarande

$136 10.5% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ballsh

$76 6.5%

Sarande

$110 8.5% 44.6% $34

Getting Around

Ballsh

$44 3.7%

Sarande

$50 3.8% 14% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Ballsh versus $851 in Sarande. 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 $55.0 in Ballsh versus $55.0 in Sarande. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Ballsh vs $284 in Sarande – so Sarande wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🇦🇱 Sarande

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

Same time as Ballsh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

17,233

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballsh Sarande 84 km

From you

Ballsh
Sarande

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 Sarande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarande is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,773 per month in Ballsh and $1,947 in Sarande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballsh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Sarande – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Ballsh and $55.0 in Sarande. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ballsh, where all-in costs run around $1,182, than in Sarande at $1,298. In Ballsh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarande it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ballsh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sarande makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.