At the beginning of July, the average price of apartments for rent (for all types of residential properties) in the capital reached 721 euros per month. The calculation of the average rent was based on data on rental transactions from the real estate agency CPM made available to Monitor.
At this level of rental price, calculated with the average gross monthly salary (according to the level published by INSTAT for the first quarter of 2026), an individual must spend 77% of his gross monthly income or 97% of his net income to cover the cost of housing.
Including other expenses, for food basket products, transportation, energy, etc., affording the rent for housing is becoming an impossible mission for many middle-class Albanian families. The inability to afford the cost of rent is creating a new trend, especially for young families, who are choosing cities near the capital as a housing alternative, while continuing to work in Tirana.
Monitor contacted some of these individuals, mainly members of young families, who claimed that they have decided to leave Tirana due to high rent prices. The trend is also confirmed by real estate market experts.
Stela Dhami, executive manager of the international real estate agency “Colliers International Albania”, says that many young families are choosing the city of Elbasan, but also Durrës, as a housing alternative.
Dhami says the main reason for this displacement is the inability to afford the ever-increasing rents in Tirana. She emphasizes that the phenomenon mainly affects middle-class families, who are faced not only with rising rents, but also with the costs of schools, kindergartens, grocery stores and other living expenses.
“The rental market in Elbasan still offers apartments at significantly lower prices than in Tirana, making the city an attractive choice for those who work in the capital but cannot afford the housing costs. Rental prices in Elbasan can be around 30–40% lower than in Tirana, while Durrës, due to tourism and high demand, has higher prices than Elbasan,” says Dhami.
According to a real estate market expert, the cost of housing is the main factor that is changing the map of housing choices for a portion of citizens working in the capital.
“I think that if there were sufficient public transportation and at a normal cost, there would be even more individuals who would choose to live in these cities, because they are very close to Tirana. This is a phenomenon that occurs in many metropolises around the world. Due to high rent prices and the unaffordability of the cost of living, many individuals from abroad live in the immediate vicinity of the capital,” Dhami highlights, among other things.
But even though the daily commute to Tirana and traffic remain another challenge, according to the real estate market expert, many families are considering this an acceptable compromise in the face of the savings that the lower rent brings./monitor.al