Today, I will share our estimated monthly cost to retire in Albania including rent, groceries, utilities, internet, cell phone, restaurants, drinking water, laundry, and transportation if the two of us retire here on a tight budget.
I thought I would have a million bucks by the time I reached my 60s. But that didn’t happen. I could blame the system, but that is not my style.
Complaining about things outside of my control doesn’t move the ball forward. So I never play the victim card. Instead, I adjust my strategy and move forward.
First, I decided to not wait until 65 or 70 to retire. I have been living overseas since 2007 so I knew I could retire overseas with way less money than I would need in the USA.
So, I spent well over a decade putting my feet on the ground all over the world to find my own perfect retirement paradise. This past summer, we toured all over Eastern Europe and one of our favorite places to retire cheap in paradise is Tirana Albania.
While in Tirana Albania, we shot all of the video you are watching with our feet on the ground here. My name is Dan and the beautiful woman you see in the video with me is Qiang. Albania was my 72 country and Qiang’s 46th country.
After I share my cost of living in Tirana Albania, I will share what I learned about healthcare, food, real estate, things to do, social considerations, visas, walkability, weather, Internet speeds, and expat considerations.
Estimated Cost to Retire in Albania
Rents: Today, I found this furnished 1 bedroom apartment advertised online with a long-term lease at 380 Euros ($422 USD) per month. The ad says just 5 minutes from central Tirana which is where we would want to live. If you rent for a short term on Airbnb it would be much more expensive.
A larger apartment closer to the old town could easily cost twice as much per month. So for the middle range expenses, I estimate $700 USD per month or more depending upon area and size.
Here is the process we use to find great apartments. So, we will show you a table of all estimated expenses in a moment. We will use $422 USD per month for our lower rent estimate and $700 per month for the middle cost of living estimate for expats who want more space.
In case these rents are too high for you, just 30 minutes outside of Tirana rents can be as much as 30% lower and even cheaper in rural areas and smaller towns. Next week, I will show you what it costs to live on one of the most beautiful beaches in Albania.
Utilities: For the apartment above, we estimate the year-round average utilities for us would be about $60 USD per month. The utilities would cost more for the larger space, starting at around $95 USD per month.
Groceries: We would shop in the farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables, and purchase nonperishable foods and other things like shampoo and detergents in the grocery stores. We estimate about $320 USD per month for groceries. Other expats are likely to spend more on imported groceries they miss from home spending $420 USD per month or more on groceries, since most don’t go to the farmer’s markets.
Restaurants: We would eat out twice per week mostly in more local-style restaurants averaging about $5 to $7 USD per meal per person and one or two splurges per month of $10 to $14 USD per meal per person. If you add all that up, we would spend around $180 per month for the two of us. We may have a beer here and there, but that is covered below in alcohol.
Other expats are likely to eat more Western-style foods in expensive expat-style restaurants and less in local-style restaurants, so they would likely spend more like $280 per month for 2 people in restaurants. It is lifestyle-dependent.
Cell Phone Data: The cheapest prepaid Vodaphone SIM cards in Albania are about $18 USD for 30 days including 10GB of data, 200 minutes, and 2000 texts. My Android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet when we are out of the house together.
Other (retired) expat couples are likely to buy two prepaid SIM cards so they would need about $36 USD per month.
Laundry: The apartments all seemed to have clothes washing machines. The above grocery estimate includes laundry detergent.
Drinking Water: We read online that the water is clean here and many people drink water from the tap but we would be a little more careful. We didn’t see reverse osmosis delivery in 20-liter jugs here so we would probably get a Brita water filter. The filter refills would be about $5 USD per month.
Internet: We read online that in-home wifi costs about $28 USD per month for 100 Mbps.
Public Transportation: We didn’t ride the city buses in Tirana because we lived in the Center and everything we wanted to see was within walking distance (less than 2 km (1.2 miles)), plus it didn’t rain at all while we were there (July). I found this link which describes how to use the city buses. We also use Blue Taxi which you can order by text on WhatsApp (+5567- 444 – 4444) or by the Patoko Taxi App. So, we estimate about $50 USD per month for buses and taxis.
Other expats might walk less and spend more on taxis and less on public transportation, so I estimate $120 per month for them.
Alcohol (Optional): Domestic beers in grocery stores in Albania start at 89 LEK, or $1.00 USD for the half-litre size which is about 50% larger than the standard-sized beer in the USA. In bars and restaurants, half-liter draft domestic beers run from about $3 to $5 USD. We estimate about $120 per month on alcohol for the two of us.
Many other expats would spend a higher amount for imported foreign or craft beers in expat bars, so about $220 USD per month for 2 people assuming they are not into imported whiskey or wine.
Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $200 per month for entertainment for the two of us. We enjoy doing more do-it-yourself kinds of entertainment so expats would spend a little more, maybe $300 per month, for 2 of them?
Estimated Costs to Retire in Tirana Albania
|
Tirana Albania |
Lower (USD) |
Middle (USD) |
|
Rent |
422 |
700 |
|
Utilities |
60 |
95 |
|
Groceries |
320 |
420 |
|
Restaurants |
180 |
280 |
|
Cell Data |
18 |
36 |
|
Laundry |
0 |
0 |
|
Drinking Water |
5 |
5 |
|
Internet |
28 |
28 |
|
Transportation |
50 |
120 |
|
Total |
$1083 |
$1684 |
|
|
|
|
|
Alcohol |
120 |
220 |
|
Optional Total |
$1203 |
$1904 |
|
|
|
|
|
Entertainment |
200 |
300 |
|
Optional Total |
$1403 |
$2204 |
My above lower cost estimates would be for the two of us living on a tight budget. I gathered this data with my feet on the ground in Tirana Albania in August 2024.
When we first started exploring the world in 2018, we were on a tighter budget, and that was before recent inflation. But now, we spend more money because we have it. We receive additional income from YouTube and Memberships.
Plus, slowly traveling the World costs more than the above stationary life estimates.
I would estimate that 80 to 90% of overseas retirees will spend significantly more than our above-estimated lower budget. So, the middle estimate is just another example of what other expats might spend for these expenses if they moved here.
To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see what you would choose to rent, eat, drink, and how you would entertain yourself, and add it all up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.
If you are a retired expat in Albania, we would like to share your cost of living on this channel, if you would like to be a guest. Please email me here and I will invite you on my channel as a guest.
Albania Retirement Desirability Factors
I will now share what I learned about Albania’s retirement visas, healthcare, walkability, Internet, food, weather, things to do, social considerations, safety, expat communities, and real estate, and then assign an overall retirement desirability score to Albania.
Walkability: High. We walked everywhere in Tirana. We found all of our daily needs within a 5 to 20-minute walk from our apartment. So we would not need a car if we lived in Tirana. Avoiding the expense of a car would be highly desirable to us.
Internet: High. The wifi in our Airbnb had about 30 Mbps down and 6 Mbps upload speeds, but we heard that we could get 100M Mbps for about $28 USD.
Food: High. There was a huge Farmer’s market walkable from our apartment but smaller ones when you only need a few things. For fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, we would shop in the Farmers Market. For other nonperishable foods and other necessities, we would shop in any of the grocery stores. Our webpage with links to all this information is the first link in the first comment below this video.
There are local restaurants with delicious meals starting $5 to $7 USD per meal per person and international food restaurants starting at around $10 to $14 USD.
One of the things that really blew our minds about Tirana was the little Italian restaurants with amazing pasta starting at around $5 per entree, links provided. Our restaurant list is below.
Weather: High. The coldest month in Tirana is January with an average daily high of just 53F (12C) and a nightly low of 33F (1C). The hottest month in Tirana is with an average daily high of 88F (31C) and nightly low of 63F (17C). The best time to visit Tirana is April through June and then Sept through October, unless you prefer warmer weather like me, then May through September. It rarely snows in Tirana. According to one source, the last two times snow stuck on the ground was in 1985 and in 2017.
Things to Do: High. We both really loved Tirana. Our favorite thing to do was to wander around the city for hours and enjoy all the different styles of architecture and the tree-lined neighborhoods. Tirana seemed architecturally unique in that it had both ancient buildings that were maintained beautifully but also had modern buildings with such artistic designs they turned the city into a walking modern art museum.
With a population of about 600k people, and despite being a capital city, Tirana never felt too big or too small, and there was always something going on whenever we went on long walks.
An events calendar showcases Tirana’s October Marathon, The German Techno Street Rave, The International Film Festival, the Wine and Vineyard Festival, The National Theater Opera, and Ballet Season, The Feast of Friendship, The Tirana Photo Festival, and a string of International Peforming Artists and DJs.
Social Considerations: High. When communism crashed in the 1990s, English was not widely spoken in Albania. But things changed quickly. By 2006, about 65% of Albanian children in Tirana could speak fluent or semi-fluent English. Those kids are adults now and English is still taught in schools.
So it is possible to live in Tirana, the capital city of Albania, without speaking the Albanian language, but it will be more difficult with older Albanians. Tirana is growing rapidly with a significant expat community. Many people in tourism, hospitality, and business, communicate in English, but not everyone.
Whenever we ran into someone who couldn’t speak English, they usually called someone else over to help us. Or someone nearby would jump into the conversation and help out. We rarely used Google Translate.
Safety Considerations: High. Albania was ranked the 42nd safest country in the world 90 spots safer the the USA. When I last checked, the US State Department webpage published a level 2 risk for Albania–Exercise increased precaution in Albania due to crime. You can also review my report, How to Travel the World Safely, which is how I have remained safe traveling the world for 17 years. We went out walking after midnight drinking in central Tirana and never felt a hint of trouble.
Expat Community: High. Albania joined NATO as a full member in 2009 and applied for European Union membership that same year. The EU has asked for final changes before Albania is admitted, but the President of the EU Commission in charge has signaled that the future of the western Balkans is in the EU. Albania is not yet using the Euro which has kept prices lower in my opinion.
Here are a few Facebook pages that cater to English-speaking expats living in Albania: 1, 2, 3, 4. These online expat communities are great for learning all about things that expats want to learn when they first move overseas. Make sure to search for previous questions asked and answered recently before posting any questions to these groups.
Medical: Medium. This healthcare international comparison index ranks Albania 66th in the world, 3 spots more desirable than the United States which ranks 69th. There are different ways healthcare is rated, but this one seems to be considering quality of care in relation to what patients are charged.
If you decide to move here, make sure to ask around for referrals and establish relationships with doctors based on the feedback you have gotten from others who have used their services. The above Expats Facebook pages may be a good source for that information.
Tourist Visa: High. Citizens of 84 countries can visit Albania as tourists without obtaining a visa. This link provides a quick list of the countries but do double check with the Albania Embassy in your home country before making any final plans. The tourist visa exemption is good for a maximum of 90 days stay in Albania during any 180-day period for many countries but only US citizens get 1-year visa-free entry into Albania.
Residence Permits: High. According to this Albania source, there a number of ways to apply for residency in Albania, but I will focus on two: (1) Residence Permit for Pensioners, and (2) Residence Permit for Real Estate.
Residence as Pensioners must supply a lease contract in Albania, proof of pension from your home country of 120,000 LEK ($1343 USD) per month transferred into an approved bank in Albania, proof of health insurance, and a judicial (criminal) record from your home country along with application and other forms.
Residency by Real Estate purchase must supply a certificate of real estate ownership, proof of sufficient financial resources to live in Albania along with application and other forms.
For both Albania residence permits, I would hire a local immigration lawyer to make sure I am doing it right.
Rather than promoting any particular immigration lawyer, I would recommend that you request a referral to a lawyer on one of the Albania Expat Facebook pages I shared above. Ask the expats there for an immigration lawyer who they have already successfully used to get residence permits for Albania.
Real Estate: High. When I read about it today, foreigners are allowed to purchase real estate in Albania. Today, I saw this 2-bedroom apartment for sale for 130k Euros or $145k USD, but if you are willing to live outside the walkable city center you may be able to find an apartment for less than half that amount. I am not recommending you buy either of these. They are just examples. I do not recommend buying real estate in a foreign country until you have lived there for an extended period of time making sure you love it. If you decide to buy real estate, you should also get your own lawyer who has no conflict of interest with you. For example, do not use a lawyer recommended by your real estate broker or your local lover.
Albania Retirement Desirability Score: High. Tirana was one of our favorite cities during this tour of Eastern Europe. The winters are relatively mild here as compared to other parts of Eastern Europe, so I could live here year-round without the need to fly south for the winter. I like warmer year-round weather but I don’t mind cooler weather for a few months of the year so long as it is not cold. Also, this part of the world is so beautiful I would love to live here.
What would it cost you to live here in Tirana Albania?
You should also add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the above table. Presumably, you find those things necessary in life. To do that, visit the Numbeo Tirana and add anything not mentioned in the above table.
Also, if you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses.
Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.
Short History of Tirana
Tirana is the capital of Albania and its most populous city. The Romans showed up in the 3rd Century and Emperor Justinian built a castle where tourists still visit the ruins today.
Tirana has a funky-cool artistic feel to it that you don’t see as much of in this part of the world. There are large open areas, wooded parks and walkways, bike lanes, and artistic expression around almost every corner.
Yes, you are surrounded by centuries-old buildings but the city planners have not been afraid to allow creative architects to contrast ancient heritage with striking creative buildings that include function and art all rolled into one.
In Tirana, I acquired the sense that you can both honor the past and the present. It is okay to tear down a few old places of little character here and there, so long as you require something new that is a treat for your eyes.
But leave enough of the past so it predominates whatever crazy idea of creativity is likely to fade and be replaced in 30 years. Tirana seems to have found the sweet spot so hats off to them.
Tirana has been invaded over and over again successfully over the millennia. But just enough of the ejected invading culture remains to make it one of the most interesting melting pots in the world.
Tirana entertains every part of a cultural explorer, such as taste buds, sites, sounds, and artistic appreciation. I could walk around this city for hours without ever getting bored. It is a cultural explorer’s paradise on a working man’s budget.
I normally call my must-see walking tours, old town walking tours. But Tirana embraces old and new so I will call it my Central Tirana Walking Tour.
Central Tirana Walking Tour
Skanderbeg Square is the heart of Tirana. Skanderbeg was the military leader who ejected the Ottoman Empire from Albania so he is a national hero. History is written by whoever last took the land you are standing on.
So Skanderbeg is honored traditionally by placing him on his horse in the heart of the city. The Square also includes the Ethem Bey Mosque, the National Historical Museum, the National Opera, the Palace of Culture, and the Clock Tower. Skanderbeg Square has received several EU awards for architecture and public planning.
National History Museum: The museum is sectioned according to topics such as Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Independence, Communist Terror, and the National Liberation Antifascist War.
The Antiquity section displays the 4th century BC and goes through the 8th century AD and includes actual sculptures like the God Apollo and the head of Artemis.
Et’hem Bey Mosque is a historical Mosque built during the Ottoman period and completed in 1821. The Ottoman period started here in Tirana in the late 15th century and ended with the Albanian Declaration of Independence and official secession from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. A recent survey reports that Tirana has remained multi-cultural, with about half being Muslim, 12% Christian, and 30% reporting no religious affiliation.
Clock Tower was first built in 1822 but has been rebuilt several times because of World War I and II. Today it holds a Chinese clock that was added in 1970. You can climb up the 90 stairs to the viewing platform.
BunkArt 2 was constructed during the communist rule in 1981. The communist leaders were so fearful that they would be invaded by Russia or the Americans that they constructed over 100k bunkers like this.
Today, this bunker with 24 rooms is used to display documents and photos showing how the communists used investigations, surveillance, and interrogations to persecute and kill over 100k Albanians.
Murat Toptani Road is named after the leading Albanian family that ruled during the Ottoman period. The street runs between the Parliament House and the National Art Gallery.
Other interesting things to see in Central Tirana include Toptani Shopping Mall, Fan Stilian Noli Park, the Reja open-air arts, and The Cloud.
Tirana Nightlife Walking Tour
Where we stayed in Tirana
We stayed at this Airbnb for $31 USD per night before adding Airbnb fees, cleaning fees, and taxes. It was a great location but we would move further out if we had time to stay for a month or longer. Everything we needed was within walking distance and I have listed all of that below under restaurants, shopping, and services.
How we got to Tirana Albania
We took the GetByBus.com bus from Podgorica Montenegro Central Bus Station to Tirana Albania Terminali Lindor I (East Bus Terminal) for $19 USD per person. We ordered Blue Taxi by text on WhatsApp (+5567- 444 – 4444) to get to our Airbnb apartment for about $10 USD.
Restaurants, Bars, Markets, Services
Restaurants (Local currency in LEK, 92 LEK is $1 USD)
EJA Restaurant: Best pasta in town. Aglio 450, 4 cheese pasta 580, house wine glass 250
Tirana Traditional Food: Local cheap food – Baked vege 200, Stuffed pepper 300, Ferges cheese dish 250
Falafel House Tirana: Falafel wrap small 350, Hummus wrap small 350, Hummus 500g 700
Pasta Da Pucci: Tagliatelle Porcini truffle 620, Pamodori ravioli 600, Reserve Napoleon France 1500
Tek Zgara Tironës: Vegetarian grilled package 600, traditional grill package 700, wine 0.5L – 400
Zgara AlPazar: Fergese 300, Piglet shish kebab 200, meatball with cheese 120, house wine 0.5L 400
AMO SUSHI – AMO POKE: TEG – Tirana East Gate – bus terminal mall food court – poke 990
Ottos Restocafé: Great breakfast: Cappucino 160, Scramble egg 550, Avocado bread 450, Orange juice 300
Terracotta 2 Restorant: Pasta olio 700, Spinach pasta 800, Creme brule 350, wine 2500
Le Bon Tirana “Mine Peza”: Cappuccino 150, vege cheese sandwich 180
Tulla Nouvelle • Terrace: Rooftop pub, small beer 500
Markets and Services
Farmer’s Market 1, 2: Fresh fruits, vegetables
Grocery Store: Spar
Toptani Mall: Retail, groceries, department store, fashion, pharmacy, fast food
Kinema Millennium: Movies $6 USD, in English with Albanian subtitles.
