Not just food: Albanians also pay 7.6% more for communications than the EU average

In addition to food, household appliances, fuel, and other goods, Albanian consumers also pay more than the European Union average for communication and information services.

According to Eurostat data, analyzed by Monitor, the price level index based on purchasing power parity (PPP) for information and communication services in Albania stood at 107.6% of the EU average in 2025.

This means that Albanians pay 7.6% more than the average EU citizen to use mobile phones, landline services, and internet access, when measured according to purchasing power parity.

Communication prices have risen steadily in recent years, as the market has effectively returned to a duopoly with only two companies. In 2022, communication prices in Albania were 9% lower than the EU average. In 2023, they exceeded the EU average for the first time, reaching 100.5%, before climbing further to 103.1% in 2024 and hitting a record 107.6% in 2025.

The Western Balkans as a whole tends to have relatively high communication costs, but Albania tops the list. North Macedonia has the lowest price level in the region at 84.9% of the EU average, making it the only country below the EU benchmark. It is followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (99.9%), Serbia (102.7%), and Montenegro (106.1%). No data are available for Kosovo.

The most expensive countries in Europe for communication services are Switzerland (167.0%), Norway (164.1%), Iceland (151.6%), Belgium (146.3%), and Sweden (137.5%). The cheapest are North Macedonia (84.9%), Turkey (70.2%), Poland (67.6%), and Romania (56.1%).

The internet costs us more

The Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP), in its latest annual report for 2025, has assessed the affordability of electronic communication services in Albania, in line with the methodology of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which measures the cost of standard ICT baskets in relation to gross national income per capita (GNI per capita).

The 2% GNI per capita threshold serves as a reference limit for determining the affordability of basic services.

According to the data, the most expensive service is internet, which has seen increasingly widespread use in recent years. Albania has the highest cost of mobile broadband internet services in relation to income among the Western Balkan countries.

According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the average monthly cost of a broadband internet basket in Albania in 2025 was equal to 1.69% of average monthly gross income (GNI).

With this level, Albania ranks significantly above other countries in the region and the global average. After Albania comes North Macedonia, with 1.31% of GNI, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 1.17%, Montenegro with 1.01%, and Serbia with 0.96%. ITU does not publish data for Kosovo.

Albania also has significantly higher costs than the global average, which stands at 1.38% of GNI.

Albania also ranks among the highest levels in the region and above the global average for the high-use communication basket (140 minutes, 20 SMS messages, and 5 GB of data), with a cost of 1.95% of GNI.

With this level, Albania is the second most expensive country in the region for this package, after North Macedonia, where the cost reaches 2.1% of GNI. It is followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 1.86%, Serbia with 1.49%, and Montenegro with 1.01%.

The global average cost for this basket stands at 1.54%.

“KORÇA BOOM”