Buying a home is becoming increasingly difficult in Albania. According to recent calculations, an average Albanian family would need to work over 16 years to afford to own an apartment.

Specifically, it would take about 16.3 years of income for a typical household in Albania to purchase a home. In all other European countries, the homebuying period ranges from 6 years in Denmark to 15 years and 8 months in Serbia. These figures are based on 2025 data from the global database Numbeo, which tracks housing prices and income levels.

This is the first time Albania ranks at the bottom among 36 measured countries in Europe in terms of housing affordability — the ratio of apartment prices to household income.

In 2024, the average time needed to buy a home in Albania was 13.8 years, meaning the gap has widened further. This shows that housing prices are rising faster than incomes.

In Albania, the average monthly salary is €780, while apartment prices in the capital start at a minimum of €1,000 per square meter. According to the Bank of Albania, housing prices resumed a steep upward trend in the second half of last year.

The Fisher Index, calculated by the Bank of Albania, showed that the average selling price of housing increased by 23.6% compared to the previous six-month period, and by 44.5% compared to the same time last year.