What does a second home in Durrës cost to keep per year?
An empty 70 m² flat in Durrës costs about 13,200 ALL (€143) a year in fixed charges at 2026 tariffs: a 200 ALL monthly water fee, a 200 ALL monthly electricity fee in months the meter reads zero, about 6,000 ALL of municipal fees and about 2,360 ALL of building tax, all billed with the water bill. The building’s administration fee, insurance and any letting manager come on top.
Data compiled by Fedir AlpatovUpdated
Fixed charges when nobody is there
| Charge | Rate | A year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water service fee | 200 ALL a month | 2,400 ALL | ERRU Decision 15/2024 |
| Electricity, months with a zero reading | 200 ALL a month | up to 2,400 ALL | ERE Decision 312/2025 |
| Cleaning and waste fee | 3,500 ALL a year per family | 3,500 ALL | Durrës fiscal package |
| Public lighting fee | 1,500 ALL a year | 1,500 ALL | Durrës fiscal package |
| Greenery fee | 1,000 ALL a year | 1,000 ALL | Durrës fiscal package |
| Building tax | 33.75 ALL per m² a year (0.05% of the reference price) | 2,363 ALL | VKM 132/2018; Durrës fiscal package |
| Total | about 13,160 ALL (€143) | Domlivo calculation |
Method: Municipal fees are the 2024 package levels; the budget committee’s report on the 2026 package lists eight changes and none touches them. Golem and other coastal units outside Durrës city fall under different rules (Golem is in Kavajë municipality) and are not covered here. 92.02 ALL = €1.
Sources · 6
- DATA-KB2-DURRES-0004200 ALL/monthDurrës household water tariff and fixed fee (ERRU Decision 15/2024)Confidence: HIGHPeriod: 2024-2026verified 2026-10-21ERRU Decision No. 15 of 16.05.2024: water tariffs for Durrës (Zone A and B)
- DATA-KB2-DURRES-0005200 ALL/monthElectricity service fee for a zero meter reading (ERE Decision 312/2025)Confidence: MEDIUMPeriod: 2026verified 2026-10-21ERE — "Tarifat dhe Çmimet e energjisë Elektrike dhe Gazit natyror për VITIN 2026" (official tariff table PDF)
Read from the 2024 fiscal package file headed "projekt vendim"; the 2026 committee report lists eight changes, none to these fees.
- Confidence: HIGHPeriod: 2026 (current)verified 2026-09-09PwC Tax Summaries Albania — Individual other taxes
- DATA-KB2-DURRES-CALC-000113163 ALL/yearAnnual fixed charges of an empty 70 m² flat in Durrës (Domlivo calculation)Confidence: ESTIMATE (calculated, not measured)Period: 2026verified 2026-10-21DomLivo research calculation engine
From DATA-KB2-DURRES-0001/0002/0004/0005, a 70 m² flat in Durrës city with no consumption all year. 92.02 ALL/EUR.
When you use the flat
- Electricity costs 10.2 ALL per kWh with VAT up to 700 kWh a month, the same rate across Albania in 2026.
- Water in Durrës costs 70 ALL per m³ plus 50 ALL for sewerage, on top of the fixed fee.
- Durrës bills the cleaning, lighting and greenery fees and the building tax together with the water bill, so the bill keeps coming while the flat is empty. Set up a bank payment or ask someone to pay it.
Costs that depend on the building and on you
- Administration fee. Law 55/2025 sets no national rate: the owners’ assembly fixes it from the building’s costs and each owner’s share, and an owner pays it even when not living there. A late payment costs 30% of the fee per month. Ask the administrator for the current amount and the last year’s accounts before buying.
- Insurance. Cover against natural disasters is voluntary and only about 5% of Albanian homes are insured (Monitor, October 2026). We found no published price we could verify; ask two or three insurers for a quote.
- Letting it out. If you let the flat to holiday guests you need a categorisation certificate, pay 15% tax on the rental income, and a manager typically takes a share of bookings; see the related pages.
Questions and answers
About 13,200 ALL (€143) a year in fixed charges for an empty 70 m² flat, plus what you use in summer, the building’s administration fee and insurance.
33.75 ALL per m² a year, which is 0.05% of the 67,500 ALL/m² reference price: about 2,360 ALL (€26) for 70 m². It is billed with the water bill.
Yes. Law 55/2025 obliges an owner to pay the administration fee even when not living in the flat.
ERE’s 2026 tariff lists a 200 ALL monthly service fee for a month in which the meter reads zero. If anything stays switched on, you pay for the kWh instead.
Sources
- Bashkia Durrës: reply on billing of local taxes (26.01.2026). Municipality of Durrës, 2026-01-26 (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Bashkia Durrës: budget committee report on the 2026 fiscal package (22.12.2025). Municipality of Durrës, 2025-12-22 (accessed 2026-10-21)
- ERRU Decision No. 15 of 16.05.2024: water tariffs for Durrës (Zone A and B). Water Regulatory Authority (ERRU), 2024-05-16 (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Monitor: Property insurance performs poorly again in 2026. Monitor.al, 2026-10-20 (accessed 2026-10-21)
- VKM 132/2018 on the taxable value of buildings, consolidated with VKM 457/2023 (Annex 1 reference prices). Ministry of Finance, Directorate of Property Tax, 2023-08-01 (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Bashkia Durrës — "Paketa Fiskale 2024" (DOCX), 2024-02-01 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- ERE — "Tarifat dhe Çmimet e energjisë Elektrike dhe Gazit natyror për VITIN 2026" (official tariff table PDF), 2025-12-24 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Law No. 55/2025 "Për administrimin e bashkëpronësisë në ndërtesa" (official PDF, Agjencia për Mbështetjen e Vetëqeverisjes Vendore), 2025-07-03 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- PwC Tax Summaries Albania — Individual other taxes, 2026-07-22 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- DomLivo research calculation engine. DomLivo Research Department (accessed 2026-09-10)
What is missing
Gaps we know about: questions we have no reliable data for yet.
- The full text of the Durrës 2026 fiscal package was not readable; fee levels are those of 2024, which the 2026 committee report does not change.
- Household fees and building tax for Golem (Kavajë municipality) were not found.
- No verifiable published premium for apartment insurance was found.
- ERE Decision 103/2026 did not restate the zero-reading fee; whether it still applies after 30 April 2026 is not confirmed.