My return to Albania in 2012, after 22 years abroad, coincided interestingly enough with a few more expats moving to Albania. Looking for other expats living in Tirana, especially Canadians, I did a simple search online and it was then that I discovered Internations.org. Through this platform I personally connected with a small group of expats from Canada, the US and Northern European countries. People utilizing this platform were somewhat transient and while I volunteered for a couple of years as the Ambassador (event coordinator) for Tirana, I found it necessary to create a more specific Albania related community of Expats and thus the Facebook group "Expats In Albania" was born, in 2014.
Since then the community of expats reaching Albania has grown and continues to. Recently our platform was enriched with the website under the same name Expatsinalbania.com offering a wealth of free information for expats arriving in the country as well as more specialized assistance for those that want to have help with the process. We have numerous articles on our blog from expats living in Albania and this is a good spot to start for someone thinking of moving to Albania.
Albania has much to offer: beautiful natural surrounding with great geographical diversity: mountains, sea, lakes and rivers, canyons and valleys etc. The weather is another great reason to live in Albania. The four seasons are fully displayed and each one of them offers an array of flowers, colors, fruits and vegetables and the locals ferociously celebrate each season and its specialties. As an example, the month of June in Shqip is Qershor coming from the root word Qershi, which means cherries. The month of July in Shqip is Korrik, coming from the root word 'Korr' which means to harvest. Food in this country is amazing! Small production of fruits and vegetables make it possible to eat what's in season, one of the great secrets of the healthy Mediterranean way of eating. Fish from the Adriatic & Ionian sea is small but tasty! An array of Albanian chefs have learned their trade abroad and now offer some of the greatest culinary experiences comparable to may European countries. However, simplicity and local products always is the key!
The cost of living in Albania, being one of the lowest in Europe, makes this country very attractive for expats working remotely, retirees, entrepreneurs etc. Though costs continue to go up, still it is possible to afford a great lifestyle in Tirana (Albania) with an average income of $1500 US / month. Tirana being the most expensive place to live in Albania. Rent in other smaller towns could be half of what it is in Tirana.
More recently, we are having requests from expats to purchase property in Albania. There is no limit to what you can spend on property in Albania if one is utilizing this method to obtain residency. While this may change very soon, (neighboring countries have a min of 200 or 250K) this is a great opportunity to own a relatively cheap property in Albania, be it an apartment by the coast of a small country house to be renovated and upgraded. Purchasing property in Albania however is not a simple task. We highly recommend hiring a trusted agent to protect your interests. You should pay for this service as the 1% (of the sales transaction) would NOT cut it.
The legal part of a purchase transaction is covered by Notaries, so having your trusted Notary is vital and less costly than a lawyer. Either way, we highly encourage having someone on your side to protect your interest. As they say "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"! This saying is invaluable in Albania, it being a developing country and justice system undergoing a reform. So, simply put, you want to avoid finding yourself in a 'pickle' here as that will not prove to be resolvable in any timely manner or pleasant in any way. To be continued! Expats In Albania (talk) 12:44, 18 June 2022 (UTC)