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The average rent reaches 721 euros per month in Tirana, unaffordable, housing takes up to 77% of the salary

2026-06-12 07:43:00, Ekonomi CNA

The average rent reaches 721 euros per month in Tirana, unaffordable, housing

The average rent for apartments in Tirana for 2026 has reached 721 euros per month, according to data from real estate agencies.

As rental prices continue to rise, monthly incomes are not keeping up, making the cost of long-term rental housing beyond the limits of affordability recommended by the international coefficient, but also one of the greatest financial challenges for individuals and families.

Real estate market expert and executive manager of Colliers International Albania agency Stela Dhami says that monthly rental expenses are considered affordable if they account for no more than 30% of a family's monthly income.

According to the international coefficient used to assess housing affordability, rent is considered affordable when it does not exceed 30% of a family’s or individual’s gross monthly income. When rent exceeds 30% of monthly income, it is considered unaffordable and signals financial stress on a family for housing. If it reaches above 50%, this situation is called extreme “housing cost burden,” which increases the risk of housing insecurity.

The average gross monthly salary in Albania reached 90,119 lek or about 930 euros, for the first quarter of 2026 according to INSTAT.

The average monthly rent reached 721 euros, calculated for Monitor by the real estate agency CPM (the average rent is calculated from transactions for 2026).

From the calculations, according to the international coefficient formula, an individual must spend 77% of their gross income or 720 euros to pay for rental expenses.

If we consider the average net salary of around 72 thousand lek (740 euros), rental expenses reach around 97% of net monthly income, making housing practically unaffordable for the average individual.

In both cases, the indicators remain significantly above the 30% threshold that is considered the limit of affordability of housing costs.

The cost of housing remains problematic even for families with more than one employee. A family of 3 members (2 adults and 1 child), with an average gross income of around 182,200 lek, if paying a rent of 721 euros per month, spends around 39% of their income on housing. Calculated with net income, this percentage reaches around 49%.

In addition to high housing costs, food expenses continue to take up the largest share of the family budget. In Albania, they account for about 40% of monthly expenses, significantly above the European Union average of about 13% and the regional average of under 35%.

In 2024, according to INSTAT data on household budgets, Albanian households spent an average of 93 thousand lek per month on consumption, an increase of 1.5% compared to 2023. Although total expenditures have increased, the structure of household budgets has remained almost unchanged, with food continuing to account for the largest share.

Monthly spending in 2024 for the "food and non-alcoholic beverages" group accounts for 39.6% of monthly spending, the same as a year ago, with an average amount of 36,879 lek.

Real estate agents claim that rental prices continue to be at the same levels as last year. For 2025, according to data from the real estate market, in areas near the center of Tirana, average rental prices for 1+1 apartments ranged from 600-900 euros per month, while in the suburbs rents were 400 and 500 euros.

According to an earlier survey conducted for 2026 by "Monitor" in Tirana, long-term apartment rental prices in some areas had shown an upward trend compared to previous years.

According to real estate agents, near the Dinamo stadium, prices for 1+1 apartments range from 500 to 1,000 euros, compared to 500–800 euros last year. Maximum prices have increased by up to 25% compared to last year.

There has also been an increase for 1+1 apartments in the Lake area, where real estate agents report that maximum prices have reached up to 1,500 euros per month, up from 1,300 euros in 2025. Rents have increased by 15%.

For apartments near the Paris Municipality, with a surface area of ??1+1, rental prices for 2025 ranged from 500 to 800 euros per month. For 2026, on Kosovars Street, 1+1 apartments (including parking space) have reached 900 euros.

Real estate agents explain that the price increase is not only a result of high demand, but also the use of properties for short-term rentals, which reduces the supply available for long-term rentals. This phenomenon is adding pressure on the market and is expected to affect it in 2026.

According to data from AirDNA, the analytical unit of the Airbnb rental platform, made available to "Monitor", in Tirana alone there were an average of about 5,200 units listed in 2025, up from about a thousand in 2021, when the first data was available, a fivefold increase.

While in total, around 26.3 thousand apartments for short-term rental through AirBnb platforms were available throughout the country in 2025 (the total also includes data from Booking and Expedia platforms). In 2024, the total number of apartments was 21 thousand. An increase of around 25%.

The increase in rents has also been influenced by the increase in apartment prices, according to Stela Dhami from "Colliers Albania", especially for areas near the center./ Monitor Magazine





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