Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tirana and Pogradec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $820 a month against $1,401 in Tirana, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index

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Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,401

/mo nomad

Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tirana and in Pogradec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,401 in Tirana versus $820 in Pogradec.

Tirana $1,401
Pogradec $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Tirana versus $1,353 in Pogradec.

Tirana $2,191
Pogradec $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,982 in Tirana versus $1,887 in Pogradec.

Tirana $2,982
Pogradec $1,887

Living in Tirana is roughly 71% more expensive than in Pogradec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tirana is 3% above, Pogradec is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.09 ALL 819

$9.62 ALL 781

4.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 ALL 4,585

$39.12 ALL 3,177

44.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ALL 887

$7.30 ALL 593

49.59%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ALL 179

$1.58 ALL 129

39.87%

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

$2.45 ALL 199

$1.81 ALL 147

35.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ALL 103

$0.68 ALL 55.6

86.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 289

$1.49 ALL 121

138.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ALL 335

$2.66 ALL 216

55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$1.97 ALL 160

15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ALL 93.3

$0.91 ALL 73.8

26.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.05 ALL 167

16.59%

Eggs

$3.83 ALL 311

$2.28 ALL 186

67.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 ALL 1,032

$8.19 ALL 665

55.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 ALL 729

$4.36 ALL 354

105.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.98 ALL 1,379

$14.35 ALL 1,166

18.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ALL 163

$1.27 ALL 103

58.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 197

$2.35 ALL 191

3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ALL 173

$1.50 ALL 122

42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ALL 154

$1.26 ALL 102

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 86.3

$0.97 ALL 79.0

9.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 106

$1.02 ALL 83.1

27.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ALL 118

$1.02 ALL 82.6

43.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ALL 64.2

$0.84 ALL 68.4

-5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ALL 401

$4.28 ALL 348

15.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ALL 863

$7.80 ALL 634

36.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ALL 128

$1.25 ALL 102

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ALL 172

$1.82 ALL 148

16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.66

$0.51 ALL 41.08

-1.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.97 ALL 1,622

$18.76 ALL 1,524

6.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ALL 310

$3.64 ALL 296

4.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ALL 306

$1.86 ALL 151

102.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.87 ALL 1,533

$18.50 ALL 1,503

2.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 ALL 194

$2.28 ALL 185

4.82%

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

$33.0K ALL 2.7M

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

-0.36%

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

$29.8K ALL 2.4M

$24.3K ALL 2.0M

22.76%

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

$97.8 ALL 7,946

$61.3 ALL 4,976

59.67%

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

$18.80 ALL 1,527

$16.66 ALL 1,353

12.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.77 ALL 1,606

$17.47 ALL 1,419

13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 ALL 4,820

$36.29 ALL 2,947

63.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 ALL 1,598

$18.73 ALL 1,521

5.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 ALL 792

$8.62 ALL 700

13.11%

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

$344 ALL 28.0K

$99.8 ALL 8,105

244.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,329 ALL 676.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ALL 5,902

$49.22 ALL 3,998

47.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.76 ALL 3,960

$56.0 ALL 4,549

-12.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ALL 9,820

$96.9 ALL 7,871

24.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ALL 8,958

$149 ALL 12.1K

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ALL 65.8K

$185 ALL 15.1K

337.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 ALL 41.5K

$126 ALL 10.2K

306.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 ALL 127.7K

$366 ALL 29.7K

330.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 ALL 72.1K

$251 ALL 20.4K

253.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,085 ALL 331.8K

$1,626 ALL 132.1K

151.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,081 ALL 169.0K

$1,499 ALL 121.8K

38.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 ALL 71.9K

$478 ALL 38.9K

85.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

3.20%

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

Last update for Tirana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pogradec: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tirana

$511 36.5%

Pogradec

$126 15.3% 75.4% $385

Groceries & Markets

Tirana

$290 20.7%

Pogradec

$213 26% 26.7% $77

Eating Out

Tirana

$181 12.9%

Pogradec

$141 17.2% 22.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Tirana

$159 11.3%

Pogradec

$158 19.3% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tirana

$136 9.7%

Pogradec

$95 11.6% 30.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Tirana

$79 5.6%

Pogradec

$54 6.5% 32.1% $25

Getting Around

Tirana

$45 3.2%

Pogradec

$34 4.1% 24.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in Tirana and $185 in Pogradec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tirana pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Tirana vs $39 in Pogradec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $213 per month, with Pogradec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Tirana

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Tirana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,495 Capital

20,848

💱 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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Tirana Pogradec 85 km

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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 Pogradec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pogradec wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Tirana. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pogradec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Tirana, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $810 in Tirana versus $185 in Pogradec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Tirana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pogradec – a meal for two runs $39 versus $56 in Tirana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pogradec is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Pogradec 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.

Expats usually find Pogradec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Tirana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.