Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballsh and Tirana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,182 a month against $1,376 in Tirana, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Tirana
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Tirana Living Index

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Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,182

/mo nomad

Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballsh and in Tirana

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Ballsh vs $1,376 in Tirana, rent included.

Ballsh $1,182
Tirana $1,376

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Ballsh vs $2,174 in Tirana, rent included.

Ballsh $1,821
Tirana $2,174

A family of three spends $2,461 per month in Ballsh vs $2,972 in Tirana, rent included.

Ballsh $2,461
Tirana $2,972

Ballsh is about 14% cheaper than Tirana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ballsh sits 13% below the global median, while Tirana is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.85 ALL 793

$10.16 ALL 818

-3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ALL 4,422

$54.8 ALL 4,412

0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 ALL 554

$11.03 ALL 889

-37.62%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 178

$2.33 ALL 188

-5.15%

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

$1.48 ALL 119

$2.39 ALL 192

-38.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ALL 67.3

$1.30 ALL 105

-35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 ALL 279

$3.51 ALL 283

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ALL 334

$4.18 ALL 337

-0.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ALL 175

$2.19 ALL 176

-0.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ALL 92.1

$1.20 ALL 96.8

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ALL 190

$2.43 ALL 196

-2.88%

Eggs

$3.76 ALL 303

$3.85 ALL 310

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 ALL 1,026

$12.83 ALL 1,033

-0.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 ALL 738

$9.21 ALL 741

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 ALL 1,356

$16.78 ALL 1,351

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ALL 151

$1.98 ALL 160

-5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ALL 197

$2.41 ALL 194

1.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ALL 177

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ALL 146

$1.92 ALL 154

-5.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ALL 80.8

$1.07 ALL 86.0

-6.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 105

$1.26 ALL 101

3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ALL 119

$1.49 ALL 120

-0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ALL 59.1

$0.76 ALL 60.9

-3.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.77 ALL 384

$4.87 ALL 392

-2.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 ALL 844

$10.30 ALL 829

1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ALL 125

$1.58 ALL 127

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.10 ALL 169

-1.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.48

$0.50 ALL 40.35

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.90 ALL 1,603

$19.46 ALL 1,567

2.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ALL 297

$3.64 ALL 293

1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 ALL 294

$3.61 ALL 291

1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 ALL 1,453

$18.34 ALL 1,477

-1.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 ALL 187

$2.40 ALL 193

-3.33%

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

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

$34.1K ALL 2.7M

-1.87%

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

$36.0K ALL 2.9M

$29.1K ALL 2.3M

23.86%

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

$97.3 ALL 7,839

$98.6 ALL 7,939

-1.26%

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

$17.99 ALL 1,448

$18.42 ALL 1,483

-2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.89 ALL 1,602

$19.69 ALL 1,585

1.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 ALL 4,565

$57.2 ALL 4,609

-0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 ALL 1,561

Cinema Ticket

$9.79 ALL 789

$9.80 ALL 790

-0.10%

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

$344 ALL 27.7K

$352 ALL 28.4K

-2.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,407 ALL 677.0K

$8,420 ALL 678.1K

-0.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.22 ALL 3,963

$72.5 ALL 5,836

-32.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 ALL 3,849

$47.39 ALL 3,817

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ALL 9,449

$120 ALL 9,652

-2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ALL 8,936

$113 ALL 9,102

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 37.7K

$828 ALL 66.7K

-43.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ALL 26.7K

$488 ALL 39.3K

-31.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ALL 56.3K

$1,539 ALL 123.9K

-54.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 ALL 37.8K

$888 ALL 71.5K

-47.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ALL 150.1K

$4,405 ALL 354.8K

-57.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,245 ALL 100.3K

$2,097 ALL 168.9K

-40.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$865 ALL 69.7K

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 Tirana: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballsh

$332 28.1%

Tirana

$488 35.4% 46.8% $155

Groceries & Markets

Ballsh

$287 24.3%

Tirana

$290 21.1% 1% $2.7

Eating Out

Ballsh

$161 13.6%

Tirana

$183 13.3% 13.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ballsh

$146 12.4%

Tirana

$159 11.5% 8.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballsh

$135 11.4%

Tirana

$137 9.9% 1.1% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ballsh

$76 6.5%

Tirana

$77 5.6% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Ballsh

$44 3.7%

Tirana

$43 3.1% 1.3% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Ballsh versus $828 in Tirana. 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 Tirana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $290 – making Ballsh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🇦🇱 Tirana

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Ballsh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

418,495 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Ballsh Tirana 81 km

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Ballsh
Tirana

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 Tirana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tirana is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,773 per month in Ballsh and $2,064 in Tirana. 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.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Tirana, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Ballsh and $55.0 in Tirana. 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 Tirana at $1,376. In Ballsh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tirana 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, Tirana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.