How Much Does Albania Cost? Real Prices and Daily Budgets

Albania has a reputation as the cheapest country on the Mediterranean, and outside peak season it earns it. A good coffee for under €2, a proper meal for €8, a clean double room for €40. The catch is that the reputation is a few years old and prices, especially on the coast in summer, have moved.

This guide gives you the real numbers, from what a beer costs to what a week on the Riviera adds up to, so you can budget properly rather than guess.

Currency and paying for things

Albania uses the lek (ALL). Roughly 100 lek to the euro, which makes mental maths easy. Prices are often quoted in euros for tourist services, but paying in lek is almost always cheaper because the euro rate used by shops and hotels is rounded in their favour.

Cash still rules. Cards are fine in Tirana hotels, supermarkets and bigger restaurants, but plan on cash for buses, beach bars, taxis, markets, small guesthouses and most of the coast. Use ATMs attached to banks and decline the machine’s own conversion; Euronet ATMs charge high fees and offer poor rates.

Accommodation prices

The biggest variable in your budget and the one most affected by season.

Tirana sits at the upper end year-round. Berat, Gjirokastër, Shkodër and inland towns are the cheapest. Ksamil and Dhërmi in August are the most expensive places in the country.

Food and drink prices

Eating out is where Albania feels genuinely cheap, and the quality is high. Some typical prices:

• Espresso: 80 to 150 lek (€0.80 to €1.50). Even less outside Tirana.
• Cappuccino: 150 to 250 lek.
• Byrek from a bakery: 100 to 150 lek. This is breakfast.
• Local beer (0.5 l) in a bar: 200 to 350 lek.
• Glass of wine: 300 to 500 lek.
• Lunch at a simple local restaurant: 500 to 900 lek per person.
• Dinner at a good restaurant with a drink: 1,200 to 2,000 lek per person.
• Grilled fish by the sea: from 2,500 lek per person; check the price per kilo first.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables at markets: very cheap, and much better than the supermarkets.

Tipping is appreciated but not expected: round up or leave five to ten percent for good service.

Transport costs

• Airport bus to Tirana: around 400 lek (€4).
• Taxi from the airport to Tirana: fixed, roughly €20 to €25.
• Intercity bus Tirana to Sarandë: 1,200 to 1,500 lek (about €12 to €15).
• Tirana to Berat by bus: 400 to 500 lek.
• Sarandë to Ksamil by bus: 100 to 150 lek.
• City taxi ride in Tirana: 300 to 700 lek. Use an app or agree a price first.
• Car rental: €20 to €45 per day for a small car with full insurance outside peak season, more in summer. See our car rental guide for the details.
• Fuel: around €1.70 to €1.90 per litre.
• Corfu to Sarandë ferry: roughly €20 to €30 one way.

Beaches and activities

• Sunbed and umbrella on the Riviera: €10 to €30 for two per day, depending on the bar and the month. Free if you bring a towel and find a rock.
• Butrint National Park: around 1,000 lek.
• Blue Eye entry: small fee plus parking.
• Berat or Gjirokastër castle: 300 to 500 lek.
• Bunk’Art museums in Tirana: around 500 to 700 lek each.
• Boat trip from Himarë or Sarandë: €20 to €40 per person for a half day.
• Guided day tour from Tirana (Berat, Krujë): €35 to €60 per person.

Three daily budgets

These are per person, assuming two people sharing a room, and exclude flights.

In July and August, add 30 to 60 percent on the coast, mostly from accommodation and sunbeds.

A one-week example

A realistic mid-range week for a couple in June: two nights in Tirana, one in Berat, four on the Riviera, with a rental car for five days.

• Accommodation: 7 nights at €65 average, €455
• Car rental with full insurance, 5 days: €175
• Fuel and parking: €70
• Food and drink: 2 people, 7 days at €30 each, €420
• Beaches, entries, one boat trip: €120
• Airport bus and odds and ends: €40

Total: around €1,280 for two, or about €90 per person per day. The same week in August would run closer to €1,700, and a budget version by bus with cheaper rooms would be well under €900.

How to save money in Albania

• Travel in May, June or September. Same weather, half the price.
• Pay in lek and withdraw from bank ATMs.
• Eat where the menu is in Albanian first. Prices drop and food improves.
• Book accommodation with free cancellation early, then re-check prices closer to the date.
• Share a rental car between four people and it is cheaper than buses.
• Skip the sunbeds every second day.

The bottom line

Albania is still one of the best-value countries in Europe, and the value gets better the further you go from the August coast. Budget €60 to €100 per person per day for a comfortable trip, carry cash, pay in lek, and you will come home wondering why everyone else was in Croatia.