"You can Buy a Studio-Apartment for 50 Thousand Euro." Advantages and Disadvantages of Life in Albania, Prices, Real Estate and Nature

Albania is a wonderful place for living. Beautiful nature, tasty food, friendly people, and beneficial conditions for entrepreneurship. However, like everywhere, there are pitfalls. Helga told us about her life with the family in Albania, obtaining a residence permit, starting a business, and household nuances.   

About a Residence Permit and Business Registration

— My name is Helga. It’s been almost three years since I moved to Albania with my husband and son. Now, we’re living in Durrës. 

As before we moved to Albania we had visited this country and had lived here for a while, we understood what we could do here. That’s why straight after we moved, we registered and started working. We started two businesses at the same time:  street sportswear and customized shoes store, and short-term rental business.

We concluded our first long-term rental agreement 2 weeks after our arrival. Then acquaintances and clients began to appear, and the business slowly grew and developed—soon the sales and renovation of apartments was added. The store did not live up to our expectations: the local population really loves branded goods, not individual style, so it had to be closed.

As for the Albanian residence permit, obtaining the relevant documents was and remains a simple task. There are several areas that allow you to do this, we registered on the basis of business.

There is also a good program for obtaining a residence permit when purchasing real estate without a price limit (with a required minimum of 20 meters per person), but at that time we had not yet decided whether we would buy housing here. Today, I will say that this is the fastest and most inexpensive option for obtaining an Albanian residence permit; In addition, it is quite a profitable investment.

About Advantages, Disadvantages, and Local People 

— Albania is a beautiful country with magnificent nature, which amazes with its diversity: the sea with sandy and stone beaches, mountains with lush vegetation, mountain rivers, and coniferous forests. According to statistics, Albania has 320 sunny days a year, and this is very energizing and positive.

The biggest plus is, of course, the sea. In winter, you can walk and enjoy the view and sound of the waves, and in summer you can swim and engage in water activities (scooter, catamaran, etc.).

Albania is developing very noticeably and developing infrastructure, but at first the absence of trash cans on the streets was very noticeable. Now, during the season, traffic in beach areas is very difficult due to the large number of cars and small parking areas.

In Albania, farming in the field of livestock and crop production is developed, so there are very tasty natural products and quite reasonable prices for them, and the same situation with seafood. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are available all year round and have a rich taste and aroma.

At first, it was difficult to find the usual brewed tea in establishments, since all the locals drink coffee, but gradually the situation is getting better — you can order both traditional black and green tea more often, as well as local herbs or mixtures with berries and fruits.

Open, kind and sympathetic people live in Albania, and therefore our adaptation was quite easy.

In general, local residents are very proud of their history and preserve many folk traditions: everyone from children to old people knows how to dance national dances and certainly do this at any event. They are proud, like the eagles depicted on their flag, and very family-oriented — traditionally Albanian families have at least 2–3 children. Many residents speak several languages perfectly, and the older generation even knows Russian.

About Prices and Living Standard

— Although Albania is considered a poor country with an average salary of €450, a lot of new housing is now being built here (both in the capital and on the coast), and locals often visit restaurants and drive nice cars.

It was a little difficult to get used to the slower and more relaxed pace of life compared to Minsk, but over time we also began to do everything “Awash-Awash” (slowly-slowly).

Since I have lived here for quite a long time, it is difficult for me to compare prices. But I think that utility costs here are much higher due to the lack of centralized heating and the unusual cold in the room in winter (it can be warmer outside during the day). 

The products, given their quality, are inexpensive:

• pork—€7 kilo; 
• cheese—€10 kilo;
• milk—€1.5 for 1,5 liter; 
• olive oil—€7 for liter; 
• fresh shrimps—€12 for 1 kilo;
• oranges, apples, cucumbers—€1; 
• tomatoes in winter—€2–3, in summer €1; 
• greenery—€1.5 for 1 kilo (lettuce, spinach, rucola). 

A large pizza in a restaurant costs €7–€10, a hot dish with fish or chicken costs €10–€15, pasta and risotto cost €6–€12.

— In Albania, gasoline and diesel are quite expensive—€1.8 per liter, but gas is cheap—€0.6.

Car insurance is also not cheap—from 200 € per year (depending on the volume and year of production)

The country has both public healthcare and education, as well as private alternatives. A visit to a specialized doctor with an ultrasound will cost on average €50, a dental filling - from €20.

Private kindergartens cost €80–€100 per month, private schools with meals in both Albanian and English—€200–€300 per month.

Clothes in large shopping centers are represented by all popular world brands (Zara, Massimo Dutti, NY, H&M, Bershka, etc.). There are also many small shops with Chinese goods, and in the capital there are boutiques with signature Italian brands. Lots of sports shops. It is more difficult to choose genuine leather shoes, since they sell mainly leatherette ones.

About the Prices on Accommodation

— As for housing, this is a very affordable market in Albania—for an annual rent, an apartment on the sea (depending on renovation and proximity to the coast) can cost from €300–€500, plus utilities. You can buy a studio for €50 thousand, larger apartments for €60–€70 thousand. On average, a square meter of housing now costs from €1–€1.5 thousand.

However, property prices have risen very strongly over the past two years due to the geopolitical situation, the large influx of Slavs and interest from other countries. There is active development of both the coast and the capital, and this makes housing even more affordable and at the same time modern.

Of course, the operation of apartments in Albania is different from life in the middle zone. There is a humid climate and no central heating, and if the ventilation system is not correct, mold can often appear. In the fall, due to heavy rains, there may be flooding of apartments both through the windows (since the sealant can deteriorate during the summer season) and from the upper floors from neighbors.

If you are buying real estate in Albania for your own life, then I would recommend calling an electrician and rechecking the entire system of wires and connections, as fires can occur due to poor electrical wiring.

About Job Opportunities and Albanian Language

— Finding a job without knowing the language is not very easy, but small businesses are very developed here, which makes it easy to register and earn money from your business. Also, due to the large outflow of local youth and specialists, you can always find your place in Albania if you are a professional in your field and in a sought-after industry. And during the season, specialists in the service sector (hotels, restaurants, etc.) are in great demand here.

Since the country is actively developing, the laws for running small businesses have been adopted very favorable: a law has been passed here, according to which until 2029, with a turnover of less than €85 thousand per year, the entrepreneur pays only income tax—it is about €110 per month—and another annual Indoor registration fee.

If the specifics of your work or business primarily involve communicating with Russian-speaking people, then you can live without learning the Albanian language. But for everyday communication, even a small set is enough, since Albanians are happy to hear their speech from a foreigner. In addition to English, many Albanians speak Italian well.

— Although the country is small, it is very rich in interesting places, attractions and delicious restaurants with traditional dishes. Albania has many ancient fortresses and castles, but the main attraction is the sea and mountains.

In general, it is very comfortable, calm and free to live in Albania - it is a modern and Europeanized society. Everyone who values quality, beauty, kindness and freedom falls in love with the country at first sight and stays.