Price examples for budget travelers in Albania

Albania. It’s the new hot spot on the budget travel circuit, although some of us have known about it for years. My price examples for budget travelers in Albania prove it’s still a bargain, but for how long?

Consider these eye-popping tourism numbers:

2015 tourists: 3 million
2024 tourists: 11 million
2025 tourists (estimate): 15 million
2030 tourists (projected): 30 million

That projection for 30 million tourists in 2030 is incredible: only 2.75 million Albanians live in Albania (there are seven to 10 million worldwide).

One in 5 jobs in Albania are tied to tourism. Ask any local person if they want more tourists, and most will say absolutely yes. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe and it is on the cusp of a boom, thanks to tourism.

So what’s the draw? Why are so many casual tourists and budget slow travelers coming to Albania?

Lower prices
Stunning coastal areas
Rugged beauty of mountains and lakes
A rich cultural history
Dare I say: it’s not pretentious like other European nations
Americans can stay one full year for free on a tourist visa

*Spouse Theo takes a photo of the second-century Roman ampitheatre ruins in the middle of Durres City.*

This post will focus on price examples for budget travelers in Albania. Of course, the other big draws I named are important, but I want to give our retired readers some real-world price experience.

After a long list of price examples for budget travelers (all converted from Albanian lek to U.S. dollars), there is a small section on traveling to – and around – Albania by public transportation.

Table of Contents

Price examples for budget travelers in Albania

Airbnb accommodations (shoulder season, September to mid-November)

Tirana Airbnb (one week): $38 per night, 1 bed – close to Skanderbeg Square
Tirana Airbnb (two weeks) $71.50 per night, 2 bed – close to the lake
Durres Airbnb (monthly discount): $23 a night, 1 bed – sea view, two blocks from the beach
- See a video tour
Vlore Airbnb: (monthly discount): $25 a night, 1 bed – coastal view, close to the beach

Long-term lease rentals (price examples based on yearlong contract through an agent)

Tirana city center
- 1,076 sq ft, 2 bed, 2 bath, balcony, 6th floor, lift, furnished: $700 per month
- 750 sq ft, 1 bed, 1 bath, balcony, 15th floor, lift, furnished: $565 per month
- 485 sq ft, 1 bed, 1 bath, 3rd floor, lift, furnished: $465 per month
- 1,900 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath, furnished, building fitness center with pool, $2,115 per month
Durres Beach (higher prices than Durres City)
- 625 sq ft, 1 bed, 1 bath, furnished, steps from the beach: roughly $1,115 per month October through May; roughly $2,115 for remaining months; averaging $1,475 per month
- 830 sq ft, 2 bed, 1 bath, parking (rare), furnished, 300 feet to sand, pool access: $1,760 January to May; $2,230 June; $3,300 July and August; $2,230 September; $1,550 October and November; $2,230 December; averaging $2,099 per month
Vlore
- 1,615 sq ft, 2 bed, 2 bath, huge veranda, sea view, furnished: prices from $1,245 to $2,700 per month (summer), averaging $1,520 per month
- 970 sq ft, 2 bed, 1 bath, sea view, mountain view, across the street from the beach, furnished: $1,100 per month

*Beachfront units and shops in Durres, Albania.*

Note: long-term rental prices come from friends staying in Albania for one year, and also from websites that pitch rentals to expats.

You might find lower prices if you looked in person.

Budgets are relative

For Albania, we are shooting for around $2,200 per month. You could easily spend more or less.

Our budgets vary by country, and average out per year. We openly share our budgets on a special page.

Budget breakdown examples

Grocery price examples

Lek to $ = USD as of Oct. 4, 2025; 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds

tomatoes – 130 lek per kilo: $1.58
green peppers – 100 per kilo: $1.21
10 eggs – 200 lek: $2.43
feta cheese – between 500 and 700 lek per kilo: $6.07 to $8.50
green olives – 400 to 500 lek per kilo: $4.85 to $6.07
fresh milk, 1.4 liters (.37 gallon) – 200 lek: $2.43
chicken breast – 500 lek per kilo: $6.07
Nescafe instant coffee, 500 grams – 600 lek: $7.28
beer, 16 oz can – under a dollar on sale

Restaurant price examples (nothing high end)

medium vegetarian pizza – 450 lek: $5.46
gyro sandwich – 250 lek: $3.03
order of French fries (large portion) – 200 lek: $2.43
‘healthy’ sandwich (vegetarian – because I asked them to hold the ham) – 400 lek: $4.85
Greek salad with feta and olives – 300 to 400 lek: $3.64 to $4.85

*Greek salad for me, sausagues and bread for the spouse in Tirana, Albania.*

Note for vegetarians: There are only two vegetarian restaurants listed on HappyCow for all of Albania; both are in Tirana. There are many restaurants with vegetarian ‘options’ listed on HappyCow, but those options are only vegetarian pizza or salad. No one knows what tofu is. ‘Veggie’ burgers are not soy or bean patties — only grilled vegetables on a bun.

Transportation price examples

Airport to Tirana on Luna Bus – 400 lek per person: $4.85
Public buses in Tirana – 40 lek, no transfers: $0.50
Taxis in Tirana less than two miles – 500 lek: $6.07 (but the price increases dramatically after that)
Tirana to Durres by public bus (from South and North Bus Terminal) – 200 lek: $2.43
Public bus from Durres city down the Durres Beach road – 40 lek: $0.50
Taxi from Durres city bus station down the Durres Beach road – far end – 1,100 to 1,500 lek (depending on day or night): $13.35 to $18.20 (!)

Note on taxis: There is no Uber, Lyft, or Grab in Albania. There are several taxi apps — but all have the same high prices.

*The beach road bus in Durres, Albania.*

Notes on travel in and to Albania

Albania is still developing, so it feels way more rugged than European Union nations. For example, the public transportation situation is dramatically improved since a decade ago, when only furgons went from Tirana to Saranda. Today, buses go that route on improved roadways carrying many more tourists.

However, the system is still chaotic and and somewhat mysterious for seasoned travelers who don’t hunt down accurate information.

Transportation questions & answers

Where can I get accurate regional travel information on public transportation in Albania, such as from Tirana to Durres?

A government website lists stations, routes and schedules, but updates on changes can be slow.

The best way is to confirm your route is through a driver on that route, especially if it’s later in the day and you are not leaving from the Tirana airport.

Older bus drivers might not know English, so an audio translation app is recommended.

As of this writing, the South and North Bus Terminal in Tirana is under construction. Be advised the buses park in an adjacent parking lot, and there are no facilities for travelers.

What about trains?

Albania is working on a rail line between Tirana and Durres that is expected to be completed by 2028. In September 2025, the Albanian government received a grant from the European Union worth 35.4 million euros to help complete the project. When finished, engineers say the train will take passengers from Tirana to Durres in 22 minutes.

What cheap flights go to Albania?

Discount carrier Wizz Air frequently flies from all over Europe to Tirana International Airport Nene Tereza – TIA (Mother Theresa was Albanian). Discount carriers RyanAir and Transavia also have many routes to TIA from Europe.

For example, our two tickets from Vienna to Tirana with two checked bags cost around $100.

For flights to and from the U.S., check Lufthansa. Looking two months out, I found flights for $325 per person from Chicago to Tirana.

A full list of airlines at TIA is on the official site.

Albanian prices won’t be bargains forever

Remember that cable car photo at the top of the page? That’s ‘The Dajti Ekspres’ just outside Tirana. It’s 2.7 miles long and the longest cable car in the Balkans.

In late 2025, a round trip ride cost 1,500 lek per person, or $18.20 USD. That’s not bad for today’s prices.

But it was half that price on our first visit to Albania in 2018.

I think all prices will keep increasing as tourism increases. Basic supply and demand — 30 million tourists by 2030 is a helluva lot. Will that really happen? Maybe.

Albania’s infrastructure surely will be tested. It still has waste management issues, you can’t drink the tap water or flush toilet paper in older buildings, its public transportation system is confusing. Yet millions already visit.

And while housing prices might be affordable for us, locals who earn so little are pushed out of the market. The average Albanian earns $940 USD per month. Coastal erosion, uncontrolled growth with little oversight, and natural resource exploitation are other problems Albania faces with exponential tourism.

We can’t control any of that. But we can and do tip well, we support local businesses (there are NO Starbucks here – yeah!), and we are respectful to everyone in our host country — as good tourists should be.

So, how long will prices be lower in Albania now that the secret is out?

No idea. But you know what I’ll say next, right?

Travel now, because Life is Now.