Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tirana and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,128 a month against $1,401 in Tirana, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Tirana
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Tirana Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index

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Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,401

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tirana and in Durres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,401 in Tirana versus $1,128 in Durres.

Tirana $1,401
Durres $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Tirana versus $1,732 in Durres.

Tirana $2,191
Durres $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,982 in Tirana versus $2,336 in Durres.

Tirana $2,982
Durres $2,336

Living in Tirana is roughly 24% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tirana is 3% above, Durres is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.09 ALL 817

$10.48 ALL 849

-3.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 ALL 4,573

$37.19 ALL 3,013

51.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ALL 885

$10.37 ALL 840

5.30%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 179

$2.07 ALL 168

6.76%

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

$2.45 ALL 198

$2.12 ALL 172

15.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ALL 103

$1.07 ALL 86.9

18.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 288

$3.06 ALL 248

16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ALL 335

$4.44 ALL 359

-6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$2.08 ALL 168

9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ALL 93.1

$1.03 ALL 83.4

11.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.29 ALL 185

4.37%

Eggs

$3.83 ALL 310

$3.86 ALL 312

-0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 ALL 1,029

$12.69 ALL 1,028

0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 ALL 728

$7.78 ALL 631

15.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.98 ALL 1,375

$15.02 ALL 1,217

13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ALL 163

$1.20 ALL 97.4

67.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 197

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ALL 173

$1.56 ALL 126

37.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ALL 153

$1.32 ALL 107

43.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 86.1

$0.90 ALL 73.1

17.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 106

$0.95 ALL 77.2

36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ALL 118

$1.22 ALL 99.1

19.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ALL 64.0

$0.71 ALL 57.4

11.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ALL 400

$4.43 ALL 359

11.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ALL 861

$10.99 ALL 890

-3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ALL 128

$1.49 ALL 121

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ALL 172

$2.08 ALL 169

1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.55

$0.48 ALL 38.50

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.97 ALL 1,617

$19.58 ALL 1,586

1.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ALL 309

$3.65 ALL 296

4.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ALL 306

$2.50 ALL 202

50.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.87 ALL 1,529

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.20 ALL 178

8.64%

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

$33.0K ALL 2.7M

$16.0K ALL 1.3M

105.42%

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

$29.8K ALL 2.4M

$25.6K ALL 2.1M

16.64%

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

$97.8 ALL 7,925

$90.2 ALL 7,310

8.41%

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

$18.80 ALL 1,523

$18.02 ALL 1,460

4.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.77 ALL 1,602

$16.33 ALL 1,323

21.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 ALL 4,808

$41.02 ALL 3,323

44.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 ALL 1,594

$61.3 ALL 4,963

-67.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 ALL 790

$7.52 ALL 610

29.65%

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

$344 ALL 27.9K

$189 ALL 15.3K

82.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,329 ALL 674.7K

$4,673 ALL 378.6K

78.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ALL 5,887

$38.78 ALL 3,142

87.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.76 ALL 3,950

$41.46 ALL 3,358

17.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ALL 9,795

$89.1 ALL 7,216

35.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ALL 8,934

$162 ALL 13.1K

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ALL 65.6K

$451 ALL 36.5K

79.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 ALL 41.4K

$321 ALL 26.0K

59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 ALL 127.3K

$703 ALL 57.0K

123.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 ALL 71.9K

$463 ALL 37.5K

91.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,085 ALL 330.9K

$1,993 ALL 161.5K

104.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,081 ALL 168.6K

$1,302 ALL 105.5K

59.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 ALL 71.7K

$977 ALL 79.1K

-9.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.25

-1.71%

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

Last update for Tirana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tirana

$511 36.5%

Durres

$321 28.5% 37.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Tirana

$290 20.7%

Durres

$263 23.3% 9.5% $28

Eating Out

Tirana

$181 12.9%

Durres

$177 15.7% 2.2% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Tirana

$159 11.3%

Durres

$149 13.2% 6.1% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tirana

$136 9.7%

Durres

$125 11.1% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tirana

$79 5.6%

Durres

$56 5% 28.9% $23

Getting Around

Tirana

$45 3.2%

Durres

$38 3.3% 15.8% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in Tirana and $451 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Tirana vs $37 in Durres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $263 per month, with Durres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Tirana

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

Same time as Tirana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,495 Capital

175,110

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Tirana Durres 31 km

From you

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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

Tirana vs Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Tirana. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Tirana. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $810 in Tirana versus $451 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Tirana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,401 per month in Tirana versus $1,128 in Durres – Durres is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Durres is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Durres is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tirana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.