Here’s how much the New Year’s table costs for Albanian families

The end of the year is a period of special importance for Albanian families, traditionally associated with celebrations and family gatherings. One of the most important elements of this celebration is the New Year’s table, which, of course, also has its costs. “Scan Intel” has analyzed how much the end of the year table is expected to cost on average this year and how much income is needed to afford this festive dinner. The figures are calculated based on an average of prices from some of the largest supermarkets in the country as well as the official prices of INSTAT, while the table is “laid” according to the most widespread tradition in Albania, with abundance, but without excessive luxuries.

According to statistics, an Albanian family consists of an average of about 3.2 people, while the cost of the New Year’s table for this number of members reaches 25,105 lek. At the top of the list of expenses is turkey, one of the most traditional foods of this holiday, the price of which varies on average around 1,200 lek per kilogram. For a quantity of about 5 kilograms, its cost goes to approximately 6,000 lek. Traditional foods follow with baklava, which costs on average around 1,900 lek, while alcoholic beverages also constitute a considerable item of expenditure, with around 3,247 lek for a family of 3.2 people.

Then come all the other table assortments, including other meats, antipasti, dried and fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as the basic products of the food basket, such as eggs, flour, milk, etc. The calculation also includes an additional cost of about 500 lek for electricity, as a result of cooking and higher consumption during the holidays.

With an average net monthly salary of 67 thousand lek, we can say that the end-of-year dinner takes about 34% of this salary out of the pockets of families. Meanwhile, some of these costs may be somewhat lower thanks to end-of-year offers, as supermarkets have applied price reductions for some of the basic products of the table. However, consumption varies from one family to another and often the list of products expands, bringing the final cost even higher. This is an assumed cost, as the end-of-year dinner depends on the number of people living in the family as well as their preferences for foods and the quantities they will use. /SCAN