"How much does a website cost" has no single answer — but it does have honest ranges. If someone quotes you a price without asking what the site needs to achieve, that is the first red flag.
The three main categories
Brochure site (5–10 pages, contact form, basic SEO): typically 500 to 2,500 euros in the Albanian market, and 2,000 to 8,000 euros with international agencies. The difference lies in custom design, speed, and copy quality.
Online store (catalogue, payments, shipping, customer accounts): from 1,500 to 6,000 euros for a standard build on Shopify or WooCommerce; more if you need warehouse, ERP or custom logistics integrations.
Platform or web application (bookings, dashboards, business processes): this is real software development, and prices realistically start from 5,000 euros upward depending on complexity.
What should always be included
Domain and hosting registered in YOUR name, not the agency's. An SSL certificate. A site that loads in under 3 seconds on mobile. Basic SEO structure: titles, descriptions, sitemap, structured data. A panel where you edit text and photos yourself. And full ownership of the code and content.
Where the hidden costs live
The true cost of a cheap website shows up later: maintenance nobody mentioned, every small change billed separately, slow hosting, and one day you discover the domain is registered under someone else's name. Always ask: what happens if I want to leave tomorrow? If the answer is vague, leave now.
How to decide
Don't start from the price — start from the goal. An 800-euro site that brings clients is an investment; a 300-euro site that sits empty is a cost. Ask for work samples, ask to speak to an existing client, and ask for a clear plan for how the site will produce results, not just how it will look.