How much do a SIM card and home internet cost in Albania, and does EU roaming work?

Two networks matter: Vodafone Albania and One Albania (the merged One and ALBtelecom). Both sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; buying a SIM requires an identity document, and the online tourist purchase includes an ID check, so bring your passport. Vodafone's cheaper packages (GO, Run, Fly) are sold only through its app. One Albania also sells contract plans with EU roaming included, from 1,500 lek a month for 15 GB.

Albania is outside the EU roaming area. In February 2026 the European Commission proposed opening negotiations with Albania and the other Western Balkan countries to extend "roam like at home" to them, but until those agreements are concluded your EU operator charges its non-EU roaming rate here. The Western Balkans themselves (Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia) have roamed without surcharges since 2021, which is why an Albanian SIM also works on a trip to Kosovo or Montenegro. For a stay of more than a few days a local prepaid SIM is cheaper than any roaming pass.

Fibre to the flat is the norm in new buildings and in most of the cities and coastal towns; One Albania says its fibre reaches 55 of the 61 municipalities and 89% of fixed lines in the country were above 30 Mbps at the end of 2025. Contracts run 12 or 24 months; the modem is free and installation costs 1,500 lek at One and Vodafone. A tenant usually keeps the owner's contract and pays the bill; a new contract is signed in a shop with a passport and the address. Where fibre has not arrived, in villages and some seaside complexes, Starlink costs about USD 82 a month plus the kit.