With a population of nearly 37 million people, Poland is the 6th largest economy in the EU and has been one of the drivers of the block’s economic growth recently, attracting many expats. But what is the cost of living in Poland? Can one live comfortably on a minimum salary in Poland in 2025? What about rent and food prices in Poland? Read on to find the answers and learn some useful tips to efficiently manage your living expenses in Poland.
General information
Average wages and minimum salary
The cost of living in Poland
Rent
Utilities
Food
Transportation
Healthcare
General information
Since the pandemic, the Polish economy has been growing at an impressive rate while the average cost of living in Poland for expats remained much lower than in many other European countries. Therefore, despite relatively high inflation, Poland in 2025 is still considered an attractive destination by expats willing to live and work in Europe.
The country consists of 16 provinces (voivodeships), and its three largest cities are Warsaw, the capital city, Krakow, and Wroclaw.
The official currency in Poland is zloty, but the country has been preparing to adopt the euro. As of mid-February 2025, the foreign exchange rate is approximately 0.24 zl for €1. Elsewhere in this review, the prices are provided in zloty, so, conveniently divide those by four to work out the average cost of living in Poland in euros. Read this post if you want to know where to exchange currency in Poland or check the best exchange rates online if you need to send money internationally.
But before we look closer at what the cost of living in Poland is, let us estimate the size of remuneration one might expect to earn.
Average wages and minimum salary in Poland in 2025
Poland is one of the European countries with a statutory minimum wage in place. The minimum wage is usually paid to those employed in the service industry (we have covered such jobs before) or newcomers to the job market. As is shown below, this level of income should suffice to cover the cost of living in Poland for a single person without rent, but when accommodation is accounted for, that might be challenging.
The government revises the minimum wage once every year, and twice if the inflation is higher than 5%, which happened in 2024. As presented in the table below, the minimum wage has been growing in recent years, supported by robust economic growth but also by inflation that was one of the highest in the EU last year. Inflation in Poland for 2025 is forecast at 4.7%.
Minimum salary in Poland 2021-2025
| Year | Amount (PLN) | Change y-o-y (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,666 | +10.0 |
| 2024 | 4,242 | +21.5 |
| 2023 | 3,490 | +16.0 |
| 2022 | 3,010 | +7.5 |
| 2021 | 2,800 | +7.7 |
But what about the average wage? In 2024, it was slightly above 7,500 zl per month. Naturally, the numbers vary greatly depending on many factors such as experience, education, industry, and so on. For example, a master’s degree or five years of relevant work experience can add around 30% to one’s salary, which substantially reduces the cost of living in Poland for highly skilled expats.
The numbers above represent gross amounts; read our extensive guide on how to calculate your net salary in Poland to understand how much money you actually get.
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What is the cost of living in Poland?
As anywhere else, a major factor is where one lives. Larger cities are traditionally more expensive to live in than smaller ones. For example, the cost of living in Poland for a single person would be 3,230 zl in Warsaw and only 2,890 zl in Katowice, a town with a population of less than 300,000. The table below presents the living expenses in Poland and three Polish cities popular among expats.
Monthly cost of living in Poland (rent excluded), zl
| City | Family of 4 (PLN) | Single person (PLN) |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (Average) | 9,840 | 2,983 |
| Warsaw | 10,620 | 3,230 |
| Wroclaw | 10,110 | 3,080 |
| Gdansk | 10,170 | 3,100 |
These numbers, however, do not include rent, which is a major part of any household’s budget. The section below should give you an idea of how rents contribute to the average cost of living in Poland.
Rent prices in Poland
Over the last five years rents have been rising across Europe. But if European average growth is around 11%, rent prices in Poland have increased by a staggering 47%. For Warsaw, Krakow, and Poznan the numbers are the highest, between 47% and 50%, while in Wroclaw and Gdansk those are 36% and 31% respectively. As a result of such rental inflation in Poland, by 2025 the rates have increased as indicated in the table below.
Monthly rent prices in Poland, zl
| Location/Type | Warsaw (PLN) | Wroclaw (PLN) | Gdansk (PLN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | |||
| 1-bedroom | 4,240 | 3,400 | 3,260 |
| 3-bedroom | 7,770 | 5,480 | 5,020 |
| Suburban | |||
| 1-bedroom | 3,330 | 2,630 | 2,630 |
| 3-bedroom | 5,640 | 4,270 | 3,730 |
| Share of rent in monthly expenses | 31% | 27% | 25% |
Utilities and czynsz
Basic monthly utilities include electricity, water, and garbage collection plus heating during winter months. The living expenses in Poland on utilities would add up to around 1,087 zl for an 85 sq. m flat per month. Monthly fees for a broadband internet connection vary between 50 zl and 90 zl, and for a mobile phone subscription between 25 zl and 60 zl.
In addition to this, there is a fixed monthly charge known as czynsz. On average, czynsz adds to the monthly cost of living in Poland about 250-300 zl. The exact articles czynsz covers vary but may include common expenses, garbage removal fees, property tax and insurance, or cleaning of common areas of the building. In some cases, metered utilities such as electricity and water are also part of czynsz; the amounts are calculated based on average consumption, but any excess must be paid extra.
It is worth noting that as a rule, advertised rent prices in Poland do not include czynsz, which might substantially affect the cost of living in Poland for an unsuspecting expat.
Food prices in Poland
What is the cost of living in Poland when it comes to groceries? Overall, local products tend to be affordable even with a minimum salary in Poland in 2025 but imported fruits and such might be rather expensive. For example, a 0.5l bottle of Polish beer would cost 4.50 zl on average whereas for a similar imported drink one would need to pay more than 6 zl. On the other hand, there is not much difference in basic food prices between Polish cities as shown in the table below.
Food prices in Poland, zl
| Grocery Type | Warsaw (PLN) | Wroclaw (PLN) | Gdansk (PLN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 4.95 | 5.08 | 4.89 |
| Rice, 1kg | 6.25 | 5.25 | 6.21 |
| Chicken fillets, 1kg | 23.91 | 24.52 | 24.50 |
| Potato, 1kg | 3.80 | 3.91 | 3.52 |
| Milk, 1l | 4.22 | 3.78 | 3.75 |
| Banana, 1kg | 6.70 | 6.67 | 6.67 |
| Apples, 1kg | 4.73 | 4.20 | 3.89 |
| Eggs, 12 | 12.88 | 11.98 | 12.64 |
| Polish beer, 0.5l bottle | 4.90 | 4.80 | 4.25 |
| Total | 72.34 | 70.19 | 70.32 |
For eating out, there are inexpensive options available which do not significantly affect the cost of living in Poland even for a single person. For example, one can have a meal for as little as 40 zl while a fancier 3-course outing for two would cost 180 zl on average.
Transportation
For many expats living in, say, the UK transportation expenses would be an important part of what the cost of living is. In Poland, however, one can enjoy a well-developed transportation system for as little as 120 zl, which is the average price of a monthly pass. One-way ticket costs between 3.60 zl and 6 zl depending on the city.
For a 5 km taxi ride, the charge would be around 30 zl in Warsaw, 27 zl in Worclaw, and 24 zl in Gdansk.
Healthcare
The Polish healthcare sector operates as public and private systems. Anyone paying social contributions from their salary is entitled to public healthcare which is generally free. The healthcare insurance contribution is 9% and starts at 314.96 zl which is 75% of the minimum salary in Poland in 2025. The monthly cost of a private medical insurance plan varies between 100 zl and 300 zl per person. Medical consultations are priced at 150-250 zl for general practitioners and 200-400 zl for specialists.
All the average prices were taken from the Numbeo.com.
As you can see, the cost of living in Poland is on the lower end of the scale compared to most of Europe. Expats based there can afford to both have a decent quality of life and put some money aside, either as savings, or to support their loved ones back home. Profee, an online money transfer provider, helps those who need to send money internationally and makes it fast, easy and cost-efficient, offering top currency exchange rates and multiple benefits to its customers. Check the Profee’s currency rates on the website or get the iOS/Android app to fully enjoy the benefits.
