What is the cost of living in Poland? Not much compared to the UK or USA. Is living in Poland expensive? No. Many people from Poland say that things are more expensive in Poland than in the USA. I think this is false. Living in Poland is cheap and low while low cost.
Living costs in Poland compared to the USA
What does cost of living mean? Living in Poland or the USA means:
- Rent or mortgage payment.
- Food expenses per week.
- Utilities.
- Transportation costs
- Extra day to day things, like vitamins or herbs or jeans.
- One off expenditures and large purchases, like computers.
- Vacations and events.
Clearly he first four items on the list is 99% of your budget. I would say rent and food is your biggest perhaps 90%. So why do people focus on the other items when making a comparison?
Cost in Poland is lower than most countries
Cost of unusual expenses in Poland
What Polish people do is go to the USA and see a computer selling at Best Buy and it it a full 50 dollars cheaper than in Poland. They say wow, things are so cheap here in the USA and Poland is expensive. I think this is untrue.
I have compared computer prices in Poland and the USA and they are the same price. You can get a 400 dollar computer in Poland or the USA. However, when you do the comparison remember to calculate the US sales tax into the price (Polish VAT is already in the quoted price). Further, it is sometimes cheaper in Poland. If a computer part is more expensive I just order from ebay UK or USA.
In almost every case it is cheaper on Allegro the Polish online store. Polish people are very clever and this is a global market. If there is a way to get it cheaper, Polish people will figure this out.
I shop at Auchen’s a French Walmart in Poland. If you are low cost you can shop there. I can get blue jeans for a little over 2 dollars there.
But the real question here is how often do you buy a computer? I still have my Sony Vaio from seven years ago and I am an IT guy. Therefore, when considering cost of living in Poland you have to look at what your real monthly cost are in Poland.
Furniture expenses in Poland
On one hand I bought a little wooden hand made chair for 5 dollars. Anything in the USA is from China. This was from the Polish mountains.
However, on the other hand IKEA prices are about the same, maybe a couple of Złoty more.
Cost of rent or real estate in Poland
This is the real cost. I pay about 400 dollarsfor my rent in the old town of Krakow. I paid in Boston for the same flat 1,800 dollars. How can you tell me that Poland has high cost or is expensive?
Food cost about 1/3 the price in Poland than the USA. People will disagree with on this but I downloaded the USDA price list and compared it to a Polish market list. The prices cost less in Poland. I compared apples to apples if you may.
Food and rent are your biggest costs in Poland because you are not buying the other things everyday. This is what it really means to price out costs in Poland.
Food costs in Poland
Cheddar cheese is about 2 dollars a pound in Poland. Potatoes about 10 cents a pound, eggs a dollar a for ten. However, it all depends where you shop. If you shop at Alma or some little expensive shop of course you will pay, but still a lower costs then then USA. But if you get things from the farmers or a large super market food is a fraction of the price of the USA.
Also when you make a comparison remember that most of the stuff I buy is organic farmers produce, you would have to pay whole foods prices for anything to come close to the quality.
There is no way you can tell me that the food you buy in the USA, most of which comes from huge Mexican agribusiness farms is the same quality as food grown on local organic farms in Poland. My wife’s parents are farmers. Most farms are organic and in Poland and most people I know have relatives in farming, up to 25 % of the country. So again regardless of the costs, Poland is a better place to buy food.
Doctors in Poland – costs
It costs about 25 dollars for a doctors visit in Poland. Or it is free if you pay taxes as I do.
Education cost in Poland
You have three kids that want to go to University and get a masters or PhD? What is the cost in Poland. Free. Cost in the USA is about 25k a year and that is only undergrad.
America is an expensive place. Poland is a low cost country.
How much does it cost to live in Poland
You can live quite well on about 10k a year in Poland. Can you do this in the USA?
If you live in Poland with a total cost of 20k a year that is a very good life.
Is Poland a poor country if costs are low
Polish costs? A very old Polish house, something from the past. Poland is not a poor country like people imagine, Low cost in Poland and good income make it relatively rich.
Poland is a normal EU country. It is still not at the standard of if you are a London money manager. However, the economist magazine compared costs in Poland and if you are a senior manager all costs and salaries considered you have a better life in Poland. Income has to be seen in relation to costs.
Since I live here in Poland as an American in Boston, I could have told you that. Poland is a beautiful place to live. The only problem is you need an income. However, that is the problem anywhere you live.
If you have a global income, you will live quite well in Poland where costs are low. If you have questions or comments please leave a reply. Or if you have ever thought about moving to Poland and curious about costs in Poland please write.
151 responses to Cost in Poland
This is what I was hoping to hear and am not to spoiled yet anyway but it all sounds good to me. It will probably be her moving to Canada but I do want to travel to her homeland for if nothing else to meet her family and have a better understanding of her culture. Thank-you very much Mark
Cost of living how much do I need to live in Poland
I am planning to work in Poland with salary 700 dollars equivalent to 2330 PLN. It is advisable to go there with my salary monthly and I have free accomodation and food?
If food and housing is free and all your 700 dollars is fun money then that is fine. It is not bad money for Poland. However, this depends on your expectations. I do not have high expectations about wealth, even though I am hard-working and a capitalist. If you are 20 or 30 something I would do it. It is not like the USA is the land of opportunity anymore. I was reading the Drudge report yesterday and the headline was “Unemployment is down… in Poland”
Not everything in life is about dollars and cents or zlotys and groszy it is more about accumulating experiences and the capital will follow.
Your Cost-of-Living in Krakow website
I hope you are still up and running, as it were. I, too, am a Bostonian, there are many Slavic people in the Boston area, mostly Russian but many Poles too.
I am thinking very seriously of retiring to Krakow in two years. I love the city; I speak fluent Polish. I also have cousins there, who deeply upset me today regarding the cost of living in Krakow.
Of course, they were measuring everything by Polish wages, retirement incomes, etc. And their comments went against everything I have already researched, including long chats with a Polish friend at the Polish Embassy in D.C. One of my cousins actually
had the nerve to say that life in Krakow was more expensive than in the U.S. – as if he ever visited
the U.S.
My cousins do not know that my retirement benefits will be paying me over $2,000 a month – wired to any
bank of my choice. They tried to find out – but got nowhere. Still, they came right out and said
that even if I had just 1,000 (dollars) a month, I would be living no better than a beggar. Nice.
I want to move to Krakow because living here (as you know) is a killer. I am paying $500 for a total dump, but only because I want to save money (got screwed really badly by my former employer – after 15 years.
My company picked just the right time to claim “no budget for your position.” I was in my 50s, and of course,
no one wanted to hire me.)
I also want to be in Krakow not just because of family, but because it’s Europe, and I want to live
in Europe. I can get to almost anyplace from Krakow – and Krakow is a beautiful city in its own right.
I would love to get your opinion about the cost of living in Krakow – even though everything can
go belly-up by the time I get there.
Krakow you will have a much better standard of life becuase of the rent. Boston is crazy with rent. Pole will tell you they have high rent also and it is true in relation to their income, but if you come over with American dollars, making 6,000 Polish Zloty you will be relatively rich. But it depends on your expectations of standards and life. I think Krakow will give you an amazing experience of European and Polish culture asnd the ability to travel all of Europe cheap. You can start to look on Gumtree for Polish apartments if you want to compare prices. Gumtree Krakow has an apartment section just like craigslist. For 1500 pln you can find a reasonable place in Krakow. For 2000 a high standard.
You can also teach English as a native speaker in Krakow or Poland generally, all you need to have to do is speak English.
Please as me any questions you want about Poland or Krakow in general.
Could a family of 4 live off the income of 1 wage earner teaching english? Native speaker teaching english in Poland.
Yes My friends do it, but it would be tight. OK so say you make 20 dollars an hour net teaching English and that yields 1600 dollars a month depending on your hours. Lets say 20 hours a week you work. You could also work in a call center or do other things. But lets say teaching normal lessons. Business English you can charge more. If you are living by Polish standards it is not bad. If you are living by US standards it will be just OK. You will have free medical and school and other things to keep your cost lower than the USA and good trams and things so you do not need a car. But on the other hand, it is not the USA but if you are OK with that it is great.
Also Poland is booming a bit and the cost of living is rising even as I have written this post. It use to be a cheap place to live but now not so much. But people have more money and you can make and charge more. So it evens out. If you teach English you do not ever have to worry about a job.
I would recommend that you try living there for a while. Also if you live there, live somewhere green and with fresh air as it is no secret that Krakow has air pollution because it is in a valley. However, the climite is cold there, so forget the expense, maybe it wold be better to be somewhere warm and sunny and fly to Poland for holidays?
other people in Krakow
What other culture of people live in Krakow besides Slovak and Poles ?
Ukrainians are second, then Russian and British and Irish and Americans and Spanish, and Turkish and Jewish etc. However, I would say, Ukrainians and British are everywhere. But really it is an international city with people from all over.
Cost of living
Hi Mark,
I was wondering how current are the prices that you quoted? I looked at some websites to get an idea of rent prices and I saw that most are in between $800-1200 per month. Are these prices inflated? Thanks.
I also wanted to mention that it’s nice to see someone who is passionate about Poland. When I read expat sites, I notice that people usually complain about where they are. It’s refreshing to see someone who is positive about the country. Although I was sad to learn that you are planning on moving away from Poland. But I guess that is a life of an expat… life is too short to be living in one place all your life, eh?
Food expenditure
Hi everyone !
I’m planning to come to Poland (krakow) where I’ll be staying for 7 weeks. It’s an internship program. I have accommodation provided by the organization which recruited me, but I’ll have to buy food by myself. So, I’m interested in hearing some opinions- how much money do you think I’ll need to cover my expenses on food during those 7 weeks ? ( I don’t eat much, and I’m not choosy when it comes to food
Thank you a lot
If you buy high quality food shop at Alma. almamarket.pl Galaria Kazimierz is a nice one for example. It depends what you eat. I mean in the USA we are a family of 3 and we spend about 500 dollars a month on quality food. But we prepare it all. Homemade chicken soup etc. In Poland we spend more because we had more money in Poland. But if you want potatoes and beans and chicken soup and things like that healthy and cheap you could live on 3 dollars a day if you eat light. If you are a Sushi person you will pay.
Icelandic Salmon is about 12 pln a package, Potatoes lets say 3 pln a kilo. Do you want the prices in dollars or pln? Do you want the weight in lbs or kg? Let me know and I can guide you.
Moving to Krakaw
Hi Mark,this is indeed helpful but wondering when it has been posted ? is it still valid ? specifically the apartment rent (1 bed room )..
The real estate market has been flat since 2008. In Krakow I was renting 70 meters for 1000 pln in the center, but maybe it is now like 1500 pln. If you want a high standard you can pay 2500 but I would not. I think 1500 for a nice place is reasonable. You can get 800 pln places to rent in Krakow but I would not recommend it. If you need roomates check gumtree. Ask me any questions on price as I am an expert on prices in Krakow and Poland in general.
Property
Poland has been pegged against the EU for the past seven years. Poland is a bit slow in adopting the common currency and there are many cultural reasons for this, especially based on the attitudes of the old-guard.
However, it will eventually roll over to the EURO.
My strongest advice to 20 and 30 somethings is to disregard all of the hyperbole and if you are able to or want to head in a positive capital future direction for yourself then the next several years are definitely the time to buy property in Poland.
I think your advice is right about the positive capital position an be positive in outlook, but I think Polish real estate for me is over valued. I would not touch any of the construction build but would rather build my own. The construction build were by developers building blocks of flats in unimaginative designs for inflated prices.
There is no way someone is going to convince me that Polish real estate is of any value when I live on an island in Florida in a historic two and on the beach and it is cheaper here in warm sunny USA on the beach than in cold, dark Poland. I think you are better off building in Poland not buying real estate developers units in a block of flats.
About the Euro, the UK does not have it nor does the USA. Why does everyone need the Euro. I do not even believe in a national currency and central bank as macro management of money has caused almost every economic cycle in this and the last century.
Money should be controlled by supply and demand in money market not by a government issuing authority.
Education in Poland
Hello and Greetings for the New Year
I am a resident of India and exploring an opportunity in Krakow, Poland. I have a 7 year old son and he is in 1st standard (studying in an ICSE school).
My main concern is about his education post my relocation. I am told there are English schools in Krakow, Poland but would like to know more with respect to their affordability (fee structure and admission pre-requisites) and adaptability for an Indian student.
Thanks in advance
Regards,
Hemanth
You want to go to the International school in Krakow. iskonline.org this is the website for the English speaking school for children in Krakow, Poland. I think it is a couple of thousand but worth it. On the other hand the Polish school system will have English and if your son learns Polish he will have a life long advantage. Poland has a very good edcation system. They even have a English speaking public school (basically) and private ones to. For example search, “prywatna szkoła podstawowa salwator kraków” szkolasalwator.pl/ and tell me if this helps.
English Education in Poland
Thanks for your response Mark.
The szkolasalwator.pl/ site is in Polish language. Can you point us to a different website that is in English. I already have checked and spoken to 2 International school authorities (ISK and British International School) and would like to explore some more options.
Sorry for the delayed and brief reply, many things going on. Use a translate tool to navigate. I will try to give you a more detailed reply about English schools in Poland for native speaking children but my pipeline of work is pretty backed up.
English Medium Education in Poland
Thanks Mark. I look forward to your response
Need help finding an apartment in Poland
Hello, I read about everything and my question is, how much is the apartment over there? Oh well, I’m from Singapore. I need to take a break badly so I’m thinking of getting away to Poland becausse I heard the place is the beautiful and quiet place. So most likely, I would want to stay there for about 2 months. Your reply will be appreciated.
Check gumtree for the Polish city you would like to stay in. You can get a student dorm situation for something like 100 dollars a month with roomates loaded in or a western standard flat for 1000 dollars a month. I think for a short term rental expect to pay 500 for a nice standard or 300 for less but very livable.
Questions about Poland answered
Alright. I will check it out but first of all, thank for answering my question. Thank you and have nice day. =)
Is this a good job in Poland?
I offered a job in Kraków as an arabic credit controller. I had been offered 1200 EURO net salary. I have 7 years experience in multinational companies, and the company that offer job is multinational. should I ask for 1500 EURO net,or 1200 will be fine. also I need to know what reasonable salary I should ask for, as I need to have nice one bed room in center of Kraków, dress well, eat well(I do not cook), travel to neighbour european countries at least once in every 6 months,pay for normal car installment(small car) enjoy night outs, I do not want to save, I just want salary that make me feel very comfortable and reasonable to my experience.
That is about 5,000 pln and in Krakow you will live a nice life. Unless you are in management it is pretty good. Mangers make between 3,000 and 8,000 pln a month. Senior managers can make 10,000 pln plus. Its OK money.
Cost of living in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
I am from India. I have gone through all the above posts; your responses for same. Would like to know about coast of living i.e Apartment rent per month /average food coast per month for 1 person/ traveling expenses per month in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Most probably, I will be traveling to Poland in May, 2012 & for longer period as I got an offer from one of the company.
It depends on your expections for standard, but lets say for 500 dollars apartment (it would be very nice, western standard), food 500 dollars and extra 500 dollars. But that is me as I am a spoiled American. But it all depends, I spend a lot of expensive imported food as I shop at Alma. You can get buy on 1,000 pln a month for everything if you wanted to. Check Gumtree. But a reasonable standard like in the USA or UK would be above, about 1/2 that in Bydgoszscz if you can live with less and are not spoiled like me.
Hey Mark, Thank you so much for your responce. Could you pls also let me know how is the Bydgoszcz to live?
Its a charming little city and not far from Warsaw, Germany or the seaside. But Bydgoszcz itself does not have a lot going on other than a litte shopping. If you are married, you will have a nice quiet little life, if not you will meet Polish girls and learn Polish and travel around Europe, maybe go shopping locally and meet a few other Indians there. It is nothing special per say but nice.
Studying cost in Krakow
How much do I need if I am applying to Krakow Economics University. I mean how much will I spend monthly for food, books, etc. (only living costs not including tuition fees). Also If I live in campus How much will it cost?
I think student dorms are cheap, and with total costs you could do it for under 800 a month maybe 500 a month or less and that is Polish Zloty. I know some students who have nice apartments and live high on the hog and spend 2,000 pln a month. But if you are really worried about money, you can eat potatoes and live in the student dorms. My wife did for years on like 300 pln a month but that was a while back.
Part time job will pay 8 pln/hour (maybe less for students). You can be a waiter and make up to 100 pln a night or do something like teach languages for 25 pln/hour, if you speak any language besides Polish.
But do not lose heart, I think if there is a will there is a way. You can also sell things in the old market. But I think the best is if you can get a job in a shopping mall that is not busy and you can study or space out during work and rest so it does not disrupt your studies.
Need info on monthly salary in Gdynia
My husband got an offer in Gdynia for 9,500 pln gross amount and tax will be deducted. We are a family of 3 with me , my husband and my 2 year old son. Is this a suitable salary and also would like to know about my job oppurtunities(currently I am in IT industry).
I think for Gdynia is a very good salary. Many people in Poland live with families on 1,500 pln a month. If you can not life on 9,500 pln I think it would be unsual. You get a nice flat for 2,000 (western standard and large) and food 2,000 and expense, savings and travel 2,000 and will still have money left over.
But it also depends on your country of origin and what you are accustomed to and your expectations. I am from Beacon Hill Boston, the richest and oldest place in the USA. I had not problem living on 1,500 pln in Poland.
However, I am frugal. There are many Americans addicted to spending and 9,500 would not be enough. But I find those people distortions of character rather than cost of living and lifestyle considerations.
I would take that job as it is a beautiful seaside area (make sure to go to Hel, it is a seaside town on the Baltic (not a place where it is hot for eternal punishment). Let me know how it all works out and more information. You will love Poland.
Thanks a lot for your response, sorry forgot to mention my country,we are from India, yeah we will be going there in another 2 months and hope everything will be good, will update you once we reach
Money in Poland and welath expectations
I was talking to my wife about you, she said you will be fine with money there, you will be rich. Indian people are good with money and you will live a nice life. For example, I met this American woman the other day who has a $250,000 dollar hour paid for 100%, and a new car and an annuity that pays $800 a month and 1/2 million dollars in the bank and investments. She is single with no children and calls her self poor. If you have 500,000 dollars in the bank in cash and stocks that is not poor in my book. She has no debt or payments or mortgage. What is she thinking, she could get a job or just invest the money ( she will be a millionare if she invests right) and she is all set. But in her mind she is poor. This is crisis America. Everyone here is a movie star.
In Poland or India people live great lives with less and are happier with less. However, in your case over 9,000 pln in Gdynia you will be upper middle class or even upper class.
Use Gumtree to look for apartments etc and do not pay too much. I had a newly renovated flat that was large for 1,000 pln. I think for 2,000 pln or less (prices have gone up you) can find a very nice one.
Yes Mark. we too dont believe in spending lavishly, anyways will give a try, the cause of doubt is the different opinion of people, mostly people here are comparing with US, Singapore etc I believe, anyway your words were so positive and thanks for that.
Ask me any questions you have. My advice again is:
Use Gumtree to help guide you for things and a translate tool to read it.
Buy furniture maybe at Ikea
biedronka.pl – And shop at Biedronka sklep for food, it is the best for price/quality or Alma if you like exotic food like I do, this is the best quality. You can see the prices online, those are in Polish Zloty and after tax so it is the final price. So you can see oranges for example are 30 us cents a pound or 2 pln a KG. I think that is cheap or Chicken 11 pln a KG or lets say 1.70 USD a pound. I think that is cheap. You can live very well if you know how to shop.
In the winter instead of keeping the whole flat heated to the max, we put a space heater in the bedroom at night.
Water we used water filers not bottled water.
There are many ways you can save, but with that salary you will not have to.
My wife who lives with me in the USA now says if you can live on 9,500 pln Brutto a month in Poland there is something off with the calculations.
Polish people are fair and in my experience will not try to take advantage of foreigners in normal shops.
Ask me about anything you want to know about Poland and cost. I can go in great detail about where to shop and buy things.
Remember this is the EU. You can buy anything in the world in Poland via Ebay or Amazon ordering from the UK. I got loads of books and things from the UK when they were not in Poland.
Remember that salary is over 3,000 dollars a month. I live in a rich town in the USA. St. Augustine, Florida and most people make about much less then that here according to the average income. And this is rich America. Do not believe fairy-tales of people needing a lot of money to live.
I have a family to support and believe me, you can live on a lot less in a state of luxary if you are not wasteful. We make our own soup and ride bikes a lot for fitness for example.
Thanks a lot Mark for your detailed explanation. I have some doubts regarding the rent amount..if we are taking a 1000 Pln home for rent,what will be the advance amount that we need to give..also furnished houses are advisable? Also what should about the approximate amount we should be holding for an initial settlement(I know it depends on lifestyle..anyways a rough idea)
I rented in the old town of Krakow for 1000 pln a nice flat that was remodeled and big enough for my whole family. My sister in law pays 800 pln for something similar. My friend pays 700 pln for a nice place with a loft in the old town. So if you look you can find deals. But if you are just a foreigner with money they will charge you. I think 1000 pln will get you a nice flat outside any city center.
Get it unfinished and put some Ikea furniture in there. You will feel better. I mean the furnished beds and sofas are old Polish 1980s and really not for me. Do you want to live like that?
I would rather get one Ikea bed or Futon and a desk and a laptop than pay an extra 300 pln a month for a furnished communist style flat. And this is what it will seem like, with heavy dark colors and draps that have no sunlight.
Trust me unless you pay 2500 pln a month you do not want someone’s conception of a retro look, unless you like dusty dark things.
Ikea is the best. No Ikea there is something like this, or order from ebay or Amazon UK.
You will need one months deposit. You need a visa to turn on the water and gas etc of course or some EU ID like an passport from another EU country.
1,500 dollars, you are a rich person.
If you need to cheap flats try student dorms of the blocks, you can get a room for 300 pl or in someone’s house.
What is your budget again a month? What town are you living? Ask em any questions.
Spending money in Poland for a trip
Hi Mark, me and my wife are going to Poland soon for a week. After taking out money for the hotel and trips we have budgeted 400 zlotty a day. Would this be plentt for two of us? Thanks
Like I have written families live on 1400 a month no problem so 400 a day Polish Zoty after hotels is more than enough. I do not think I could spend that much if I had to.
Studying in Poland and expenses
I am pretty sure im going to be moving to Poland in October to go and study in Poznan Poland, if the college will take me. The college costs 5000 euro for one year. I have 6,000 euros to spend on everything else for the eight months I will be there (october to June) flat, food, etc. I would like a 1 bedroom flat in city centre or close to centre. Does this seem doable to you?
If you have 6,000 euro for eight months read my other comments about the cost in Poland, that is pretty good and you will live well for a student. Over 3,000 pln a month for a student is a little too much money in fact.
I wish I had had your money during my study
A usuall student in Poland has around 700PLN/mouth, what is enough for paying for the room at the student house or in a flat shared with other students. And I know lots of students having less money mouthly. Of course everything depends on how you used to live. But only renting a bachelor flat will take min. 1000PLN if not more in the city center but I don’t think you really need it. Maybe better would be to rent a room somewhere just and to get to know some people and then to visit Polish cities at your free time? I did like that when I was studing in Belgium, and I have unforgetable memories from trips till now. So don’t really worry!
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