Reference Prices in Durrës in 2026: What Applies, What Was Only Proposed, and What It Means When You Buy

If you have read that Durrës reference prices tripled on 1 January 2026, that is not what happened. The Ministry of Finance published a new map in July 2025, with the port zone at 200,000 lek per square metre, for use from 1 January 2026. It was never approved. The government reopened the review, and in July 2026 Durrës was still using the values of 2016. For a buyer the difference matters less than the headlines suggest — but it matters in three specific places.

What a reference price is

Albania keeps an official price per square metre for property in each area — the reference price, or çmimi i referencës. It is not a valuation of your flat. It is a floor: notary fees and taxes are calculated on the contract price or on the reference price times the area, whichever is higher. It also sets the fiscal value used for the annual property tax.

What applies in Durrës today

As of July 2026, districts outside Tirana still apply the reference values set in 2016, and Durrës has one rate for the whole city rather than zones. Recent reporting puts it at 67,500 lek/m², about €730 — while some compilations list 71,200 lek/m² under the 2023 instruction. Ask the notary which figure applies to your address; it is the notary who calculates the fees.

Either way, the rate is far below what Durrës actually costs. Apartments ask about €1,200–1,700/m² in Plazh and €1,900–2,800/m² in the centre, so on an ordinary purchase your contract price is already above the reference, and the reference changes nothing about your fees.

What was proposed — and why it stalled

The July 2025 draft split Durrës into 13 cadastral zones, from 45,000 to 200,000 lek/m². The port and marina zone would have gone from 67,500 to 200,000 lek/m², an increase of about 196%; other zones were set at 140,000, 124,000, 100,000 and 45,000. A later proposal for villages put Gjiri i Lalzit and Hamallaj at 190,000 lek/m², the highest rural figure in the country. A local expert noted at the time that a rate of about €2,000/m² in Plazh would realistically match only around 5% of the housing there.

The draft was published for consultation and never approved. In 2026 the government sent it back to a working group with a deadline of 20 April. By June the finance minister was saying the work was still under way and more complex than expected because it involves the municipalities, and in July coastal zones were reported as still on hold while their market prices were checked again.

Where it touches your purchase

1. Notary fees and the transfer tax. The notary charges about 0.35% on sales between 100,000 and 6 million lek, falling in steps for larger amounts, calculated on the higher of the contract price and the reference value. The same rule sets the base for the 2% transfer tax. With today's single rate, the contract price almost always decides.
2. Capital gains when you sell. Capital gains tax is 15% of the difference between your sale and purchase price, and the sale price used is the higher of the actual price and the reference value. A new, higher map would raise that floor for resales in the dearest zones. It also means that an understated purchase price in your own contract becomes a larger taxable gain later.
3. The annual property tax. Housing is taxed at 0.05% of its fiscal value — reference price times area — and municipalities can move that by 30% either way. On a 60 m² flat that is about 2,025 lek a year at 67,500 lek/m²; at the proposed 200,000 it would be 6,000 lek. Noticeable, but small.

The 2026 revaluation window

Until 31 December 2026, any owner can revalue a property to its market value by applying to the cadastre ASHK and paying 5% on the difference, instead of paying 15% capital gains tax on it at a later sale. Payment is due by 31 March 2027. For flats the value is reduced by 1% for each year of use. If you already own in Durrës and expect to sell in the next few years, it is worth asking a tax adviser whether it pays off in your case.

What to do as a buyer

• Put the real price in the contract. It protects you on resale and costs little in fees.
• Ask the notary for the reference value of the exact address before you agree the final price.
• Don't accept a seller's argument that "the new reference prices" justify a higher price — they are not in force.
• Check the status again before you sell or revalue: the map can still be approved.

For what Durrës apartments actually ask by district, see the Durrës price table. For the purchase itself, see our document checklist and apartments for sale in Durrës.