Cost of living in Poland – 2017 guide

It’s no secret that living in Poland is much cheaper than in other European countries. Affordable prices of food, rent and entertainment are usually one of the main reasons why people chose Poland to be their home. At the same time if you are thinking of moving to Poland you should take into consideration that you may earn much less than you used to. To make this decision easier for you we’ve put together a list of standard expenses making up the cost of living in Poland in 2016.

Cost of accommodation in Poland

Warsaw is by far the most expensive city when it comes to renting a flat. The average cost of a medium size flat in the capital can reach even 2800 PLN per month. A bit cheaper flats can be rented in Wroclaw (2260 PLN a month) and Gdansk (1995 PLN a month). The cheapest big city in Poland is Bydgoszcz with rents as low as 1267 PLN a month for a medium size flat.

City	Flat size	Average monthly rent
Bydgoszcz	0-38 m2	996 PLN
	38-60 m2	1267 PLN
	60-90 m2	1713 PLN
Gdansk	0-38 m2	1353 PLN
	38-60 m2	1995 PLN
	60-90 m2	2590 PLN
Katowice	0-38 m2	1279 PLN
	38-60 m2	1769 PLN
	60-90 m2	2399 PLN
Krakow	0-38 m2	1445 PLN
	38-60 m2	1877 PLN
	60-90 m2	2585 PLN
Lublin	0-38 m2	1306 PLN
	38-60 m2	1688 PLN
	60-90 m2	2205 PLN
Lodz	0-38 m2	1203 PLN
	38-60 m2	1645 PLN
	60-90 m2	2581 PLN
Poznan	0-38 m2	1159 PLN
	38-60 m2	1636 PLN
	60-90 m2	2201 PLN
Szczecin	0-38 m2	1186 PLN
	38-60 m2	1552 PLN
	60-90 m2	2014 PLN
Warsaw	0-38 m2	1984 PLN
	38-60 m2	2799 PLN
	60-90 m2	4015 PLN
Wroclaw	0-38 m2	1477 PLN
	38-60 m2	2260 PLN
	60-90 m2	2921 PLN

On top of your rent you need to add a monthly cost of utilities. On average, bills for electricity, heating, water and garbage for a medium size flat are costing 620 PLN. Of course this price will depend on a city you live in, local council tax and your usage. Internet is another extra cost you should think of and it adds to your list another 45 PLN.

Utilities (Monthly)	Average monthly cost	Range
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	620 PLN	400-850 PLN
Internet (10 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	45 PLN	30-60 PLN

Cost of food

Food in Poland is fairly cheap, especially compared to countries like UK or France as it’s approximately on average 50% lower. Prices of some products may surprise, cheese for example is really expensive in comparison to meat which price is one of the lowest in the whole European Union.

Product	Average cost	Range
Milk (regular), (1 liter)	2.45 PLN	2-3 PLN
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	2.64 PLN	2-3 PLN
Rice (white), (1kg)	3.33 PLN	2.10-5 PLN
Eggs (12)	6.28 PLN	4.80-8.40 PLN
Local Cheese (1kg)	21.47 PLN	18-25 PLN
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)	15.55 PLN	14-17 PLN
Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	31.34 PLN	24-40 PLN
Apples (1kg)	2.72 PLN	2-3 PLN
Banana (1kg)	4.34 PLN	3.50-5 PLN
Oranges (1kg)	4.46 PLN	4-5 PLN
Tomato (1kg)	4.78 PLN	3.50-6 PLN
Potato (1kg)	1.66 PLN	1-2.05 PLN
Onion (1kg)	1.96 PLN	1.20-3 PLN
Lettuce (1 head)	2.64 PLN	2-3 PLN
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.86 PLN	1.50-3 PLN
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20 PLN	15-30 PLN
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2.92 PLN	2.50-3.50 PLN
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	4.15 PLN	3-5 PLN

Cost of transport

Transportation	Average cost	Range
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.40 PLN	3-4.40 PLN
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	100 PLN	89-100 PLN
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	6.50 PLN	5-8 PLN
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)	2.20 PLN	2.00-4.10 PLN
Gasoline (1 liter)	4.56 PLN	4-5 PLN

Cost of going out

Eating and drinking	Average cost	Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20 PLN	15-30 PLN
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	100 PLN	70-120 PLN
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	17 PLN	15-20 PLN
Cappuccino (regular)	7.40 PLN	6-10 PLN
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) in a pub	7 PLN	4-10 PLN