Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tirana and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Tirana: $1,401 a month against $1,509 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index

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Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,401

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tirana and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,401 in Tirana versus $1,509 in Kaunas.

Tirana $1,401
Kaunas $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Tirana versus $2,259 in Kaunas.

Tirana $2,191
Kaunas $2,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,982 in Tirana versus $3,008 in Kaunas.

Tirana $2,982
Kaunas $3,008

Living in Tirana costs roughly 7% less than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tirana 3% above, Kaunas 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.09 ALL 819

$12.03 €10.77

-16.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 ALL 4,585

$67.5 €60.4

-16.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ALL 887

$10.20 €9.13

7.06%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 179

$3.43 €3.07

-35.57%

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

$2.45 ALL 199

$3.36 €3.01

-27.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ALL 103

$3.24 €2.90

-60.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 289

$5.24 €4.69

-32.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ALL 335

$4.54 €4.06

-9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$1.61 €1.45

41.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ALL 93.3

$1.72 €1.54

-33.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.26 €2.02

5.75%

Eggs

$3.83 ALL 311

$3.24 €2.91

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 ALL 1,032

$14.95 €13.39

-14.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 ALL 729

$8.13 €7.28

10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.98 ALL 1,379

$13.49 €12.08

25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ALL 163

$1.59 €1.42

26.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 197

$1.49 €1.34

63.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ALL 173

$2.18 €1.95

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ALL 154

$3.36 €3.01

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 86.3

$0.91 €0.81

16.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 106

$0.94 €0.84

38.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ALL 118

$1.82 €1.63

-19.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ALL 64.2

$0.93 €0.83

-15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ALL 401

$6.25 €5.60

-21.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ALL 863

$10.03 €8.98

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ALL 128

$1.74 €1.56

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ALL 172

$2.15 €1.93

-1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.66

$1.15 €1.03

-56.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.97 ALL 1,622

$31.91 €28.58

-37.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ALL 310

$1.14 €1.02

234.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ALL 306

$0.89 €0.80

323.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.87 ALL 1,533

$15.76 €14.11

19.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.01 €1.80

18.91%

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

$33.0K ALL 2.7M

$27.8K €24.9K

18.61%

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

$29.8K ALL 2.4M

$28.1K €25.1K

6.36%

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

$97.8 ALL 7,946

$196 €176

-50.14%

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

$18.80 ALL 1,527

$15.98 €14.31

17.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.77 ALL 1,606

$15.68 €14.04

26.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 ALL 4,820

$32.37 €28.99

83.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 ALL 1,598

$27.72 €24.83

-29.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 ALL 792

$11.93 €10.68

-18.27%

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

$344 ALL 28.0K

$643 €576

-46.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,329 ALL 676.5K

$8,792 €7,874

-5.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ALL 5,902

$85.8 €76.8

-15.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.76 ALL 3,960

$40.41 €36.20

20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ALL 9,820

$119 €107

1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ALL 8,958

$162 €145

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ALL 65.8K

$710 €636

14.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 ALL 41.5K

$490 €439

4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 ALL 127.7K

$1,056 €946

48.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 ALL 72.1K

$698 €626

27.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,085 ALL 331.8K

$3,369 €3,017

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,081 ALL 169.0K

$2,272 €2,035

-8.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 ALL 71.9K

$1,718 €1,539

-48.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

4.05

27.41%

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

Last update for Tirana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tirana

$511 36.5%

Kaunas

$490 32.5% 4.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Tirana

$290 20.7%

Kaunas

$280 18.5% 3.6% $10

Eating Out

Tirana

$181 12.9%

Kaunas

$230 15.2% 27% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Tirana

$159 11.3%

Kaunas

$183 12.2% 15.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tirana

$136 9.7%

Kaunas

$228 15.1% 67% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Tirana

$79 5.6%

Kaunas

$56 3.7% 28.7% $23

Getting Around

Tirana

$45 3.2%

Kaunas

$42 2.8% 5.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in Tirana and $710 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Tirana vs $67 in Kaunas. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $280, with Kaunas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Tirana

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

1 h ahead of Tirana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,495 Capital

315,993

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tirana Kaunas 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tirana
Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tirana wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Kaunas. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tirana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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 $710 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tirana – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,401 per month in Tirana versus $1,509 in Kaunas – Tirana is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Tirana wins on affordability, Kaunas on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.