High cost of living, families with children, record increase in expenses

2025-10-29 07:34:00, Ekonomi CNA

Costs for families with children increased much more than in other families in 2024 compared to 2023, according to data from the Household Budget Survey.

Monthly expenditures of families with two adults and children experienced an annual increase of 14.7 percent last year, the highest level compared to other family typologies.

Such a family needs 106 thousand lek per month to cover its living expenses (about 14 thousand lek more than a year ago), up from 93 thousand lek per month, which is the average. This shows that families with children have faced significant increases in costs, for food, education, energy or transportation.

Single people have recorded a very slight increase in monthly expenses, by only 1.7% more than a year ago, reaching 56,895 lekë. Meanwhile, single people with dependent children have had a more significant increase, by 8.3%, which shows that this category has been hit harder by rising prices and basic childcare needs.

Families with two adults without children have seen an increase of 10%, from 71,792 to 79,004 lek.

On the other hand, larger families, with three or more adults without children, have seen more moderate increases in spending, 7.7% for those without children and 5.5% for those with children. This suggests that economies of scale as costs are shared among more members can help mitigate the impact of inflation.

The increase in costs for families with children indicates higher pressure on large families and may reflect both the effects of domestic inflation and changes in the prices of basic consumer goods.

Families with children are more sensitive to changes in food prices. In 2024, prices of basic products, especially dairy, meat, and fruits and vegetables, continued to be higher than the average of previous years. This has led to a significant increase in monthly expenses for families raising growing children.

Also, school, kindergarten, course and extracurricular activities fees have increased significantly. Although public education is free, many families rely on private education, remedial courses or sports and cultural activities. These costs have increased significantly in 2024, reflecting inflation in the service sector.

As children grow, the number of products and services a family needs to purchase increases, including clothing, books, technological devices, the internet, etc.

In addition, if the family does not own the apartment in which they live, the increase in rents has been another factor that has burdened the budget. According to recent trends in the housing market, rents in major cities such as Tirana, Durrës and Vlora have increased significantly during 2024, which has a stronger impact on families with more members who need more space./ Monitor