Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Albania Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Albania

Name: Albania
Address: AL

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,719 per month in Italy vs $1,115 in Albania, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,625 per month in Italy vs $1,699 in Albania, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,531 per month in Italy vs $2,282 in Albania, rent included.

Italy costs about 54% more than Albania on average – the gap runs across housing, groceries, transport, and services.

Italy sits 28% above the global median, while Albania is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Italy has a wider regional cost range ($1,156–$2,452) than Albania ($919–$1,411), so location matters more when choosing where to live in Italy.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €14.66

$11.99 ALL 979

41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 €71.0

$54.0 ALL 4,411

52.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 €10.01

$9.35 ALL 764

24.28%

Cappuccino

$1.91 €1.64

$1.95 ALL 159

-2.05%

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

$3.02 €2.60

$1.82 ALL 149

65.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.13

$0.93 ALL 76.3

40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.81 €5.01

$2.93 ALL 239

98.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 €4.41

$4.18 ALL 341

22.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.42

$2.03 ALL 166

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.09

$1.01 ALL 82.5

139.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.52

$2.15 ALL 175

35.81%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.55

$3.78 ALL 309

8.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.70 €14.39

$12.19 ALL 996

37.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €10.86

$7.87 ALL 643

60.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 €17.76

$14.53 ALL 1,187

41.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.14

$1.63 ALL 133

52.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$2.55 ALL 208

-15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.35

$1.84 ALL 150

47.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 €2.80

$1.72 ALL 140

88.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.67

$1.23 ALL 101

57.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.15 ALL 94.4

57.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.27

$1.40 ALL 114

5.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.71 ALL 57.9

-23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.87

$4.30 ALL 351

58.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 €6.32

$9.59 ALL 783

-23.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.62 ALL 132

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.19

$2.06 ALL 169

23.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.73

$0.49 ALL 39.63

310.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.70 €35.93

$18.86 ALL 1,541

121.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 €5.09

$3.60 ALL 294

63.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.31

$3.07 ALL 251

-50.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.23 €29.50

$17.79 ALL 1,454

92.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.83

$2.09 ALL 171

1.91%

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

$32.8K €28.3K

$34.3K ALL 2.8M

-4.23%

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

$33.5K €28.9K

$31.5K ALL 2.6M

6.37%

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

$226 €194

$96.4 ALL 7,872

134.20%

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

$13.32 €11.48

$18.17 ALL 1,484

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.26 €26.94

$18.99 ALL 1,551

64.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €49.02

$51.8 ALL 4,233

9.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.71 €22.15

$22.91 ALL 1,872

12.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 €8.92

$8.39 ALL 685

23.36%

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

$579 €499

$263 ALL 21.5K

120.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,076

$4,570 ALL 373.3K

130.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 €77.7

$66.4 ALL 5,425

35.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 €35.15

$48.51 ALL 3,963

-15.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 €85.1

$107 ALL 8,772

-8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €115

$138 ALL 11.3K

-3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €735

$618 ALL 50.5K

38.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €575

$428 ALL 34.9K

56.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,307

$1,264 ALL 103.3K

19.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 €933

$800 ALL 65.4K

35.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,767 €3,245

$2,824 ALL 230.7K

33.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,403 €2,071

$1,640 ALL 134.0K

46.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,986 €1,711

$733 ALL 59.9K

170.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

5.52

-20.11%

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

Last update for Italy: June 9, 2026

Last update for Albania: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $742 in Italy vs $469 in Albania. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,368 in Rome and $818 in Tirana.

Average salary: $1,931 in Italy vs $646 in Albania. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 58% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 72% more in Italy.

Public transport is 132% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 199% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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

Italy vs Albania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albania is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 55% lower on average. The gap is consistent across housing, groceries, transport, and entertainment.

Housing costs more in Italy, and the gap is biggest in capital cities. Regional towns show less difference, but Italy consistently has higher rents.

Groceries, transport, and utilities all cost less in Albania, contributing to the overall 55% price gap. The savings show up everywhere – from supermarket receipts to monthly bills.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Albania, but in Italy it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Albania is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.