Tirana or Durrës: which is better for buying an apartment?
Durrës is the cheaper and better-documented market for a sea-side flat: the Domlivo Price Index puts its median asking price at €1,500/m² across 530 flats (Oct 26, 2026). Tirana is the capital and the rental market, with an average 1+1 rent of €590 a month in the first half of 2026 against a Durrës median of €390, but our Tirana sample is only 14 flats, so its €1,980/m² is indicative.
Data compiled by Fedir AlpatovUpdated
Side by side
| Measure | Tirana | Durrës | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median asking price, flats (live) | €1,980/m² (14 flats, indicative) | €1,500/m² (530 flats) | Domlivo Price Index |
| 20th–80th percentile (live) | €1,750–2,598/m² | €1,240–1,977/m² | Domlivo Price Index |
| 1+1 rent | €590/month average, H1 2026 | €390/month median asking, Sept 2026 | Century 21 via Monitor; MerrJep |
| House prices, year to H2 2025 | +4.4% | national +28% | Bank of Albania survey |
| Water + sewerage per m³ | 65 + 11 ALL | 70 + 50 ALL | ERRU |
Method: Live rows are recomputed from the listings on domlivo.com; a sample under 30 flats is indicative only.
Sources · 6
- Confidence: MEDIUMPeriod: January–June 2026 vs January–June 2025verified 2026-09-09Sot.com.al (reprint of Monitor.al) "Të paktën 600 euro në muaj / Shtëpitë me qira bëhen mollë e ndaluar"
- DATA-RENT-DURRES-00061+1 (EUR-priced, n=18): min 300 / median 390 / max 550; 2+1 (EUR-priced, n=14): min 300 / median 500 / max 7001_1_min_300_median_390_max_550Confidence: LOWPeriod: listings dated 2026-09-06 to 2026-09-09verified 2026-09-09MerrJep.al "Apartamente me qera Durrës" (listing sample)
- Confidence: MEDIUMPeriod: H2 2025verified 2026-09-09Telegrafi.com "Shqiptarët dhe të huajt blejnë shtëpi për t'i dhënë me qira, por biznesi po ndryshon" (BoA 6M-II 2025 survey coverage)
- Confidence: HIGHPeriod: effective 2018-01-01; still current in ERRU table updated Javerified 2026-09-09ERRU "Tarifat Aktuale" (current approved tariffs, all utilities)
- Confidence: HIGHPeriod: from 2024-06-15, valid to 2026-12-31verified 2026-09-09ERRU "Tarifat Aktuale" (current approved tariffs, all utilities)
- Confidence: HIGHPeriod: from 2024-06-15 to 2026-12-31verified 2026-09-09ERRU "Tarifat Aktuale" (current approved tariffs, all utilities)
Which suits whom
- Tirana: living and working in the capital, letting to local professionals all year. Prices in Tirana rose fastest earlier: the Bank of Albania survey showed +32.6% a year in the first half of 2025 and +4.4% by the second half.
- Durrës: a flat by the sea, summer use, holiday letting in season and long-term letting the rest of the year. Rents drop in winter.
- Both are served by the same national rules: same taxes, same notary and ASHK fees.
Questions and answers
On asking prices per m², yes in our data, but our Tirana sample is small. Compare the live figures above, which update with the listings.
In Tirana: an average 1+1 rented for €590 a month in the first half of 2026, against a €390 median asking rent in Durrës in September 2026.
National taxes are the same. Municipal fees, such as the cleaning tariff, and water tariffs differ.
Sources
- Domlivo Price Index: median asking price per m² of flats for sale, by city and district. Domlivo (accessed 2026-10-19)
- Sot.com.al (reprint of Monitor.al) "Të paktën 600 euro në muaj / Shtëpitë me qira bëhen mollë e ndaluar", 2026-08-09 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- MerrJep.al "Apartamente me qera Durrës" (listing sample), 2026-09-09 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Telegrafi.com "Shqiptarët dhe të huajt blejnë shtëpi për t'i dhënë me qira, por biznesi po ndryshon" (BoA 6M-II 2025 survey coverage), 2026-08-30 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- Bank of Albania "Vrojtim i Tregut të Pasurive të Paluajtshme 6M-I 2025" (PDF), 2025-10-20 (accessed 2026-09-09)
- ERRU "Tarifat Aktuale" (current approved tariffs, all utilities), 2026-01-01 (accessed 2026-09-09)
What is missing
Gaps we know about: questions we have no reliable data for yet.
- The Domlivo index has too few Tirana flats for a headline price; transaction data by city (ASHK or INSTAT) was not found.