An american who lives in Saranda and has for over two years. My total monthly expenses including a 2 bedroom with a view, food, entertainment, utilities, Netflix, VPN all comes to about $700 dollars per month. You were charged way too much, it costs no where near 1800 even for a couple.
Thanks for sharing. Like we mentioned everyone's costs will be different depending on the lifestyle choices they make. I am sure we would spend less if we had a long term lease since we are not able to get long term rates of accommodations when slow traveling (ie we are staying in a place for 1 - 3 months at a time. Our first apartment was definitely over priced. Plus we could not cook in our first apartment since the kitchen was so poorly equipped, that meant we had to eat out almost everyday for the first month 😟 How much do you pay for your two bedroom? Is it in town or out of town?
Now I understand why you paid so much. Sorry to be critical. Rent is very subjective here, if you are going to stay longterm then you can get very cheap prices depending on where you stay. The closer to the water the more expensive. I lived up 3 street from the promenade and paid $400 euros a month. Electricity during the summer months running the AC all the time would be about 60 euros and the water maybe 10 euros. September through January are the best times to secure a long term lease cheaply. The good this is that Americans can stay here for a full year without having to leave so with a cheap apartment you can still explore other parts of Europe very inexpensively and still have a home port. @@TheWanderingHartz
No worries. We were on 5th street our first month and then moved to the south side of the bay for the second month. Yeah ,the Visa for Americans is really nice, especially now that Bulgaria and Romania are going Schengen Soon. We might be back this spring! Maybe we will run into you!
@@kunalgupta2190 it depends on what country you're from, you will have to check with your countries embassy and then start looking into Albania's requirements for non citizens.
I’m Albanian /Canadian , and been to usa few times ( loved it too) , but gotta say, my preference is somewhere hot and low crime with good food and bit cheap ( that’s saranda )! Now I haven’t been in Albania more than 10+ years , I think you might be able to budget to 800$ a person including rental … so 400-500$ rent 1200$-1300$ groceries and entertainment.. ( that’s for a couple )
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That's what we are doing! If you want to buy a vehicle in the EU, we know a company in Germany that helps expats. We just bought a van and RV, and it is so much nicer to have our own home rather than various Airbnb's (we did that the first few months, and since we don't have a visa, and have 3 children, it cost a lot). We are also homeschooling. We were in Albania for a month and loved it!
just found your channel, this was a very informative video, thanks. we think we are headed to seranda in march for a month and have found a place on airbnb that sounds pretty good near the port, but you sounded so happy with your 2nd months accommodations, would you share your contact info. Nate & Janice
Hi Nate & Janice, I dont want to share someone's personal phone number in public like this but I would suggest some of the FB groups for Seranda expats to find additional options. You can also reach out to us via our contact page on wanderinghartz.com. We were much happier with our second stay vs. the first since it was closer to the promenade and quiet. There is a lot of construction in town so you need to ask about this. The town is built into the hillside and they are always hammering into the bedrock. The Port side (Kodra) is really close to the SPAR which has a lot of options for groceries vs. the smaller markets scattered about the city.
I haven't seen any surf in Saranda, not sure about the rest of the Albanian coastline. The water stays pretty cool until summer, although there are braver people than me that don't mind cooler waters. I need it to be over 70 degrees F unless it's a scorcher! - Joel
At about the 330 mark, you guys talk about the average prices to live in Albania. Initially one of you said the pricing was for two people and then at the end of the segment you said it was for one. Can you clarify please thank you!
Our 1 month's cost averaged from the two months we stayed for two people as slow travelers/digital nomads. You can of course spend much more or less based on your habits and needs.
Very helpful video! Do you know if it's difficult for a new Expat to secure an apartment? During high season a couple could expect to spend closer to $3k US for a month..is that correct? Thank you so much!
During low season it does not seem to be difficult to secure an apartment. We booked an apartment on Airbnb our first month (April) and then were able to find one through a local landlord for our second month. (May) During high season we think you're estimate of $2.5K-$3K US per month is pretty accurate for a short term stay during the summer. From the expats we spoke to we know rents can triple during high season. Of course this all depends on your lifestyle, how much you like to eat out, how much you like to spend on entertainment and what kind of accommodations you are comfortable in. Thanks for watching!
Great question. As we understand the year resets after you have been out of Albania for 90 consecutive days. this is from the U.S. Embassy in Albania's website: "U.S. citizens may stay in the Republic of Albania for up to one year without a residence permit. When you enter the country, a border and migration officer stamps your passport with the entry date. (Lately, it has come to our attention that they do not stamp passports because the record is entered electronically in their systems. If this is the case, we suggest you save your boarding pass or ticket as evidence of your entry to Albania for later use.) To “restart the clock” on the one-year time limit, you must depart Albania and remain out of the country for at least 90 days in order to re-enter without a residency permit. Shorter trips outside of Albania during your stay do not lengthen or re-set the one-year limit." al.usembassy.gov/entering-and-residing/#:~:text=To%20%E2%80%9Crestart%20the%20clock%E2%80%9D%20on,set%20the%20one%2Dyear%20limit. We would recommend reaching our to the embassy with your specific plans to verify. This is not legal advice. Cheers, Joel
One month averaged across the two months we stayed. There are some grocery items that last longer than a month like mayonnaise or dish soap that get frontloaded into the first month.
Your experience was one of "vacation mode" - a different experience from - ''retirement mode'' - that would perhaps be a bit more - 'frugal' ? -- I see much less expense for just me. - - - Perhaps a quite comfortable ''retirement'' on $1000/mo. ! ( ? ) 😊
We were probably in vacation mode a little bit during our time in Saranda but if you divide our total expenses in 2 it's about $900 per person so your $1,000 a month is very doable. 😄 Thanks for watching!
Hi Michael, U.S. Citizens get one year on arrival visa free. The U.S. has a special relationships with Albania. Albania is not in the Schengen Zone either which is why a lot of people use it as a destination when you wish to stay in Europe but have to wait for your Schengen time to reset. Here is a link from the U.S. State Department. travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Albania.html Thanks for watching the video. We hope it was helpful! Joel
It’s one year for US always has been, there were talks they might change it to 3months but the US has massive influence here and told Albania government stop messing around with visas so Albania government confirm no changes to visa for US citizens.. ..
