Rents dominated inflation growth in January as well, a trend that began in the last quarter of last year.
According to today's INSTAT data, the inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in January 2026 was 2.3 percent, up from 1.9 percent in January 2025. Compared to December 2025, consumer prices increased by 0.4 percent.
Rents are currently driving up the cost of living in the capital. Their increase is being driven by daily rentals on platforms, while some apartments remain in stock as an investment that aims to return to the market at a higher price.
The annual price increase in January 2026 was mainly influenced by the group “Entertainment, sports and culture” by 4.9%, followed by “Rent, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” and “Insurance and financial services” by 4.4% each, “Alcoholic beverages and tobacco” by 2.7%. “Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services” increased by 2.6%, “Restaurants and accommodation services” by 2.4%, “Furniture, household appliances and home maintenance” by 2.0%, “Educational services” by 1.9%, “Food and non-alcoholic beverages” by 1.8%, etc.
Compared to December 2025, the largest price increase is observed in the group "Insurance and financial services" 4.2%, followed by the groups "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" with 1.1%, "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco" with 0.7%, "Personal care and various goods and services" with 0.6%, "Entertainment, sports and culture" with 0.5%, etc.
On the other hand, the group "Clothing and footwear" recorded a decrease of 0.5%, followed by "Rent, water, electricity, gas and other fuels" with 0.4% and "Restaurants and accommodation services" with 0.1%.
INTAT argued that the annual price increase in January was mainly influenced by the group "Rent, water, electricity, gas and other fuels" with +0.87 percentage points, followed by the group "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" with +0.61 percentage points. Also, the prices of the groups "Furniture, home furnishings and home maintenance" and "Restaurants and accommodation services" affected by +0.14 percentage points each, the prices of the group "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco" by +0.13 percentage points, the prices of the group "Personal care and various goods and services" by +0.11 percentage points, the prices of the group "Entertainment, sports and culture" by +0.09 percentage points, the prices of the group "Insurance and financial services" by +0.07 percentage points, the prices of the group "Educational services" by +0.06 percentage points, the prices of the group "Transportation" by +0.03 percentage points, the prices of the group "Information and communication" by +0.02 percentage points, the prices of the groups "Clothing and footwear" and "Health" by +0.01 percentage points each./Monitor.al/
