Prices in Tirana up to 50% more expensive than in the region, record dairy prices

If you have 100 euros to buy food products in Tirana, with the same amount you can buy about 46% more in Pristina, 34% more in Skopje, 25% more in Podgorica, 22% more in Sarajevo and 17% more in Belgrade.

The differences in food prices between the Albanian capital and other Western Balkan countries are significant, especially for everyday consumer products, from milk and eggs to cheese, meat and fruit.

According to a comparison by “Monitor”, based on data from the international platform Numbeo for supermarket prices, a basket of 15 basic products costs 54.6 euros in Tirana, compared with 46.9 euros in Belgrade, 44.6 euros in Sarajevo, 43.8 euros in Podgorica, 40.7 euros in Skopje and 37.3 euros in Pristina.

The differences are even larger for individual products. Eggs cost almost twice as much in Tirana as in Pristina.

A pack of 12 eggs sells for an average of 3.24 euros in the Albanian capital, compared with only 1.61 euros in Pristina and 2.2 euros in Skopje.

Milk is another product where differences are sharp. A liter costs an average of 1.97 euros in Tirana, compared with 1.05 euros in Sarajevo, 1.12 euros in Skopje, 1.13 euros in Pristina, 1.16 euros in Podgorica and 1.27 euros in Belgrade.

Compared with Sarajevo, milk is nearly 88% more expensive in Tirana.

Local cheese also has significantly higher prices. A kilogram costs an average of 11.4 euros in Tirana, compared with around 7 euros in Pristina and Skopje, 7.7 euros in Podgorica, 9.2 euros in Sarajevo and 10.2 euros in Belgrade.

Considerable differences also appear in meat. A kilogram of chicken fillet costs 8.2 euros in Tirana, compared with about 6 euros in Belgrade and Pristina. Beef sells for an average of 15.2 euros per kilogram, while in Podgorica and Pristina it costs around 11 euros.

Some fruits and vegetables are also among the products with the highest differences. Bananas cost 2.2 euros per kilogram in Tirana, about 75% more than in Skopje.

For lettuce, the difference with Skopje is even larger, while for onions Tirana is 75% more expensive than Belgrade.

However, not all products are more expensive in Albania. Tomatoes cost more in Belgrade and Podgorica, while rice is slightly more expensive in Belgrade.

Numbeo data are based on prices reported by users and compare capital cities, not national averages.

The illustrative basket contains one unit of each of 15 food products and non-alcoholic beverages, excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

Eurostat also confirms high food prices in Albania

The differences highlighted by Numbeo match the overall picture provided by European statistics.

According to Eurostat data for 2025, Albania is the most expensive country in the Western Balkans for food, surpassing for the first time even the European Union average.

The food price index in Albania reached 102.9% of the EU average in 2025, up from 99.6% in 2024 and around 85% in 2022.

In Serbia, the level was 96.6% of the European average, in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina 84.6%, while in North Macedonia only 74.3%.

In other words, a food basket that costs an average of 100 euros in the European Union costs about 103 euros in Albania, while in North Macedonia it costs only 74 euros.

The difference becomes even more visible for dairy products. According to Eurostat, in 2025 the prices of milk, other dairy products and eggs in Albania were 35.6% above the European Union average, making them among the categories with the highest prices relative to the European market.

Meanwhile, Albania has per capita income equal to 43% of the EU average and individual consumption per capita equal to 48% of it. Thus, Albanian consumers face food prices comparable to, and even higher than, the European average, while their purchasing power remains much lower.

Food accounts for about 40% of Albanian household spending, so high prices for basic products weigh directly on family budgets.

The continued strengthening of the lek against the euro in recent years has reduced the cost in the local currency of imported goods, but this benefit has not been reflected to the same extent in consumer sale prices./Monitor