A survey conducted in urban Tirana offers a worrying picture of the economic situation of households in the capital. The data show that, beyond the optimistic statistics that often circulate in public discourse, the overwhelming majority of families are getting through the month with difficulty, while support from relatives in emigration remains an important pillar of financial survival.
Most say they are barely covering expenses
According to the survey results, 73% of respondents said their family covers monthly expenses “with difficulty” or “with great difficulty.” This percentage suggests strong pressure from the cost of living in Tirana, despite official narratives of economic development and rising consumption.
Even among Socialist voters, who are usually perceived as being closer to the government, the level of difficulty remains high: 58% gave the same answer. This makes it even clearer that the problem is not limited to a specific political or social group.
Low incomes for the capital’s standard
Asked about their household’s monthly income, excluding money sent from abroad, nearly half of those surveyed said they live on 250,000 to 999,000 old lek per month. For families averaging around three members, this translates into an income level that can hardly keep up with real market prices in Tirana.
At a time when the costs of food, rent, transport, health care and education have risen significantly in recent years, this income range raises serious questions about the real purchasing power of urban households.
Home ownership, but not necessarily economic security
The only relatively positive indicator in the survey is related to housing. Some 84.3% of respondents said they live in their own homes, while 15.7% pay rent. Among Socialist voters, the ratio is even higher in favor of ownership, with 90.7% owners and 9.3% tenants.
However, the fact that most have a home of their own does not automatically ease economic pressure. The data on the difficulty of getting through the month show that even families without the burden of rent remain exposed to the rising cost of living.
Emigration remains a financial buffer
Another meaningful indicator is the weight of emigration in the family economy. As many as 45% of respondents said they receive money transfers from relatives abroad. Likewise, 66% of urban Tirana families report having an average of 2.1 members in emigration.
These figures show that a considerable part of family well-being does not rely only on the domestic economy. Remittances continue to serve as a compensatory mechanism for insufficient income within the country.
Holidays as an indicator of economic division
The survey also touches on a direct indicator of financial conditions: the ability to take a holiday. Forty-nine percent said they had gone on holiday this year, while 33% said they had been unable to do so because of financial hardship. Another 18% said the reason was something else.
This split shows that even within urban Tirana there is a visible gap between families that manage to maintain a minimum standard of consumption and those for whom even a short holiday is a luxury.
The picture that emerges from these data is far from the image of a comfortable and economically stabilized capital. At its core, a large share of families in Tirana are maintaining financial balance with great difficulty, while emigration continues to fill gaps that the domestic economy has not been able to close.
If these trends are read beyond propaganda and general statistics, the social picture of the capital appears markedly heavier than it is usually presented.