Moving to a new country like Poland is exciting, and understanding your finances can help you make the best decisions during this major event. At Remitly, we know how crucial it is to plan ahead, which is why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to the cost of living in Poland.
From housing to healthcare to groceries and transport, we’ll help you budget wisely and make confident financial choices.
The cost of living in Poland: an overview
Poland is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for expats, students, and professionals. It offers lower living costs than many of its neighbors, with a high quality of life. As of 2025, Poland rates 29th out of 41 countries in Europe for cost of living.
On average, a family of four can expect to spend ฿9,924 PLN ($2,262 USD) per month, excluding rent. For a single person, it’s ฿3,009 PLN ($807 USD) per month, excluding rent.
Although Poland is in the EU, it doesn’t use the Euro; it has its own currency, the Polish złoty (abbreviated as zł or PLN), which is currently (as of May 2025) worth €0.24 EUR or $0.27 USD.
Let’s get the stats on the current cost of living in Poland:
Housing costs
While housing prices increased sharply at the end of 2024, growth has since slowed.
Rental costs vary depending on where you live and the type of accommodation you choose. Warsaw is the most expensive city in Poland, and rural areas typically cost half as much as many urban areas.
Here’s a breakdown of typical rental costs across the country:
Warsaw
- Private room: ฿1,000-2,500 PLN/month (center: 1,500-2,500, outskirts 1,000-1,800)
- 1-bedroom apartment: ฿3,000-4,500 PLN/month (center 3,800-4,500, outskirts 3,000-3,500)
- 3-bedroom apartment: ฿5,500-8,000 PLN/month (center 7,500-8,000, outskirts 5,000-6,000)
Kraków
- Private room in shared apartment: ฿1,200-1,500/month (center 1,200-1,500, outskirts 800-1,300)
- 1-bedroom apartment: ฿2,500-3,500/month (center 3,000-3,500, outskirts 2,500-3,000)
- 3-bedroom apartment: ฿4,000-6,000/month (center 5,000-6,000, outskirts 4,000-4,500)
Wrocław
- Private room in shared apartment: ฿900-1,700/month (center 1,200-1,700, outskirts 900-1,600)
- 1-bedroom apartment: ฿2,000-3,200/month (center 2,900-3,200, outskirts 2,000-2,500)
- 3-bedroom apartment: ฿4,000-5,000/month (center 4,500-5,000, outskirts 4,000-4,400)
Rural areas (estimates based on general market trends):
- 1-bedroom apartment: ฿1,000-1,800/month
- 3-bedroom house: ฿2,000-3,500/month
Property prices in major cities
- Warsaw: about ฿18,800/m2
- Kraków: about ฿17,000/m2
- Wrocław: about ฿14,000/m2
Buying property also involves fees like agent commissions (2–3% of the price) and legal costs (฿1,500–5,000).
Average utility bills vary based on the size of your property, location, and usage. Some average monthly utility price ranges are:
- Electricity: ฿100–170
- Heating: ฿150–250 (more in winter)
- Gas: ฿35–170 (depends on how many gas appliances you have)
- Water: ฿45–60
- Garbage collection: Set by municipality and varies widely
In many apartments, you’ll pay a fee in advance that covers utilities. This fee is calculated based on “average” use, so if you use more, you may get a bill once every six months to pay what you owe.
Transportation expenses
You can get around easily in Poland by public transportation or car.
Public transportation costs
All cities in Poland and many towns have bus systems. Major cities like Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław have tram lines, and Warsaw has two metro lines.
While exact costs and ticket types may vary between cities, prices are generally affordable. A single ticket within a city can range from ฿3–6. Monthly passes usually range from ฿90–150, depending on the city.
Poland offers tiered train services: fast InterCity/express trains with higher fares, budget TLK/regional trains, and slow passenger trains. Fares are among Europe’s lowest (e.g., InterCity Warsaw/Kraków start from ฿37).
Poland has both PKS (state-run) intercity buses and private bus carriers. Intercity bus prices vary based on operator and distance, but expect to pay around ฿20–100.
Direct trains and buses also connect Poland with neighboring countries like Germany, Hungary, and Lithuania. Book early for the best fares. Warsaw-Berlin trains can be as cheap as ฿131, and a Kraków-Prague bus ฿146.
Poland has eight international airports, with the largest in Warsaw. It has direct flights to around 50 cities in over 30 countries. Many budget airlines with cheap fares operate out of these airports.
Uber is generally cheaper than taxis in Poland. The average taxi fare is around ฿2.40/km.
Poland has quickly become one of the top countries in Europe for e-scooter rentals. A 10-minute ride can range from ฿8–11, depending on which company you choose. Many cities also have e-bikes that you can rent for an hour (฿30–40) or a day (฿60–250).
Car ownership costs
Car prices can be high in Poland, but prices on both new and used cars have been dropping since early 2024.
The average new car costs approximately ฿145,000, and a used car ฿32,900. In addition to buying the car itself, you must also pay:
- PCC Tax on used cars: 2% of the car’s value
- Registration costs: ฿100–150
- Liability insurance: varies based on your age, driving history, type and age of car, and other factors
- Annual service inspection costs: about ฿100
- Parking fees: Vary
- Gasoline: Poland has some of the lowest gas and diesel prices in Europe. Currently, a liter of unleaded 95 octane in Poland costs around ฿5.98, and a liter of diesel ฿5.95.
Food and grocery prices
Food prices increased in Poland in early 2023, but have since stabilized. Here are recent prices of some staple goods:
| 1 liter of milk | ฿3.93 |
| 500g load of fresh white bread | ฿4.92 |
| 1 kg of bananas | ฿6.48 |
| 12 eggs | ฿12.45 |
| 1kg of potatoes | ฿3.52 |
| 1 kg of chicken filets | ฿24.44 |
Overall, the average person spends about ฿150-250 a week on groceries.
If you want to dine out in Poland, you have plenty of options to choose from, including:
- Cafes: ฿10–15 for a standard coffee with milk or a pastry
- Budget eats (street food, milk bars): ฿10–25
- Small local restaurants: ฿25–40
- Mid-range restaurants: ฿40–80
- Traditional Polish meals: ฿60–120
- Fine dining: ฿150–400
A typical 500ml glass of a big national beer is around ฿14. A glass of wine is usually ฿15, and cocktails are around ฿25.
To save some money while dining out:
- Seek out local restaurants with lunch specials. A full, sit-down meal can cost as little as ฿30.
- Try milk bars (bar mleczny), Polish cafeterias where you’ll find comforting, traditional food at low prices
- Local markets may offer quality produce at low prices
Healthcare system and costs
Poland has a universal healthcare system, managed by the National Health Fund (NFZ). It provides a wide range of medical services, but more specialized treatments can have long wait times.
Eligibility requires full-time or 20+ hour/week part-time employment, freelancer or EU student status, unemployment/disability registration, or being a dependent of an eligible person. A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) only covers short stays.
Emergency services like ambulances are still free for everyone.
Long-term residents who don’t otherwise qualify for public health can either pay a monthly fee to the NFZ fund (around ฿700 per month) to access national health services, or go to a public center as needed and pay out of pocket. Most foreigners, including international students, must either make this contribution or find private insurance.
If you need or want to have private health insurance in Poland, the costs are generally reasonable. The biggest insurance companies are Luxmed, Medicover, and Enel-Med.
Subscription prices vary based on what is included in your plan, ranging from ฿1400 to ฿8000 a year.
Typical costs for common services are:
- General Practitioner (GP) visit: around ฿100-200
- Specialist visit: ฿150–250
- Simple dental procedures like cleanings and fillings: ฿200–400
- Routine surgeries: starting from ฿2,000–5,000
Many medicines are reimbursed partly or fully by the NFZ, but which ones and how much is reimbursed varies widely. In 2024, the average price for a reimbursed medicine was ฿34, while non-reimbursed medications vary more widely.
Education and childcare costs
Poland offers diverse childcare and education options for families and students.
Poland has both public and private childcare available. Applications are submitted electronically on municipal platforms. As there’s constant high demand, apply as early as possible.
Public childcare is divided into the following:
Nursery (Żłobek):
- Ages 0–3, though some nurseries accept children as young as 20 weeks
- Free in Warsaw if the child and at least one parent are registered residents
- Otherwise, ฿300–600 a month, which includes meals
Kindergarten (Przedszkole):
- Ages 3–6
- Five free hours a day, meals not included
- Additional hours: approx. ฿1-1.5 per hour
- Meals: ฿4–9
Private childcare has more availability and services, like bilingual programs, extracurricular activities, and extended hours. They also usually have more flexible, year-round admission. However, it can be pricier:
- Nursery: ฿1,000–2,500 a month
- Kindergarten: ฿800–3,000 a month
If you’re a legal resident with a work permit, there are a few government programs in place to help alleviate childcare costs. You can apply through the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS):
- Family 800+: An ฿800 per month stipend per dependent child under 18 you have, deposited directly into your bank account.
- Active Parent Initiative: Offers stipends of up to ฿1,500/month for nursery or caregiving fees for children ages 1–3, depending on your employment status and whether or not your child is at a nursery.
If your child is of school age, they have the right to free education in a Polish public school. Education is required until they turn 18.
You may need to cover expenses for things including textbooks, school supplies, and extracurricular activities, even in public schools. If you’re a legal resident with work permits, you probably qualify for the “Good Start” program, a one-time annual payment of ฿300 per child up to age 20 (if still in school) to help cover school preparation costs.
If you want to send your child to a private school, expect costs to vary widely based on location, curriculum, and institution type. The same school may charge different tuition for different education stages:
- Local private schools teaching the Polish curriculum: ฿8,400–39,600 a year
- International schools: ฿45,000–126,000 a year
You can also expect additional fees, including:
- Entry fee: ฿800–1,000
- Recruitment fee: ฿150–400
- Recruitment interviews: ฿100
- Meals: ฿6-12 for each meal
- School uniforms: ฿300–600 a year
Cost of university in Poland
Studying in Poland can get you a high-quality education at an affordable price. Costs will vary depending on your institution, program, and program language, but here are some typical prices per year.
Public universities:
- Bachelor’s programs: ฿6,450–21,500
- Master’s or PhD programs: ฿8,600–25,800
- Medical, dental, and MBA programs: ฿34,400–51,600
Private universities:
- Bachelor’s programs: ฿8,600–25,800
- Master’s programs: ฿10,750–25,800
- MBA programs: ฿34,400–51,600
If you’re coming to Poland for university, there are several ways to get financial aid. Many universities offer scholarships for international students, and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) offers other funding opportunities.
Typically, international students are also allowed to work up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time during holidays.
Additional expenses
You’ll want to leave a little room in your budget for fun. Here are some average estimated expenses:
Entertainment and leisure:
- Movie ticket: ฿25–40
- Museum entry: ฿0–40, many offer student and family discounts
- Theater ticket: ฿40–100
- Concert ticket: ฿80–200
- Music festival pass: ฿80–430
Fitness and sports:
- Gym membership: ฿80–200 per month
- Swimming pool entry: ฿15–25 per visit
- Tennis court rental, 1 hour: ฿80–120
Communication and subscriptions:
- Cell phone plan: ฿25–50 per month
- Home internet: ฿50–90 per month for high-speed fiber
- Netflix: ฿29–60 per month
- Spotify: ฿10–30 per month
Beauty and appearance:
- Monthly clothing budget: Many consumers spend around ฿500 per month
- Men’s haircut: ฿50–100
- Women’s haircut: ฿100–200
Comparing Poland to other countries
Compared to neighboring countries like Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, Poland offers an excellent mix of cost of living and quality of life. Let’s compare how they stack up against each other:
Note: While we’ve used PLN in other sections, we’ll show all costs in Euro here for easier comparison. Comparison prices reflect costs in major cities (Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Budapest). At the time of writing, €1 EUR is equivalent to $1.14 USD.
| Poland | Germany | The Czech Republic | Hungary | |
| Average monthly rent (1BR, city center) | €620 EUR | €1,100 EUR | €750 EUR | €500 EUR |
| Utilities | €163 | €250 | €180 | €75 |
| Monthly transport pass | €30 | €70 | €25 | €23 |
| Groceries | €300 | €400 | €350 | €317 |
| Dining out (two people) | €42 | €60 | €50 | €42 |
| Gym membership | €35 | €50 | €40 | €45 |
| Internet | €15 | €35 | €25 | €17 |
| Total estimated monthly cost | €1,205 | €1,965 | €1,420 | €969 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 5% | 2.6% | 4.2% |
| 2025 forecasted GDP growth | 3.6% | 1.4% | 2.4% | 3.0% |
| Minimum wage | €1,095 | €2,100 | €835 | €720 |
| Average gross monthly salary | €2,035 | €4,100 | €1,832 | €1,400 |
Poland has become an appealing destination thanks to its high quality of life at a relatively low cost compared to many other European countries. By understanding typical living expenses, you’ll be better prepared to manage your budget and settle in with confidence.
FAQs
Can foreigners open bank accounts in Poland before getting a residence permit?
Yes, many Polish banks let foreigners open bank accounts with just a passport and a temporary address. Check directly with the bank beforehand. Many will eventually require you to register your PESEL (ID) number or residence card with the account.
What’s the average salary in Poland for expats or foreign professionals?
Salaries vary by sector, but international professionals in fields like IT, finance, and engineering often earn above the national average. Make sure to compare your salary with local costs of living and tax rates.
Are there any hidden or unexpected costs when living in Poland?
Yes, things like administrative fees (which can include residence permits and PESEL registration), mandatory annual car inspections, local garbage collection surcharges, and occasional “catch-up” utility bills can surprise newcomers.