Cost of living in Kraków
Warsaw salaries minus about 20% of the cost, in a walkable historic core — winter air quality is the weak point.
Build your own budget
Monthly spending by category: Housing $800, Food $448, Transport $71, Utilities $157, Healthcare $16, Lifestyle $106, Other $64.
1-bed, city centre Median advertised rent for this unit type Estimated $800
Salary and tax in Kraków
| Gross salary (USD/yr) | Income tax | Social contributions | Take-home / month | Effective rate | Left after costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $5,773 | $9,084 | $2,095 | 37.1% | $433 |
| $75,000 | $16,973 | $17,033 | $3,416 | 45.3% | $1,754 |
| $120,000 | $31,373 | $27,252 | $5,115 | 48.9% | $3,452 |
| $200,000 | $56,973 | $45,420 | $8,134 | 51.2% | $6,472 |
- B2B contracting on the 12% IP Box or lump-sum regimes is far more common for tech workers.
People who actually live in Kraków
Quality of life
A year of weather in Kraków
Average monthly temperature in Kraków: January 1.3 degrees, February 2.6 degrees, March 6.4 degrees, April 10.1 degrees, May 13.8 degrees, June 19.1 degrees, July 20.8 degrees, August 20.4 degrees, September 17 degrees, October 10.6 degrees, November 4.3 degrees, December 1.8 degrees. The shaded band is the average daily high and low.
Where these numbers come from
Share of this budget, weighted by money rather than by field count, that rests on a published source rather than our model.
- Measured0%
- Taken directly from a published source. No modelling in between.
- Derived35%
- Anchored to a measured source, then adjusted. The adjustment is stated.
- Estimated65%
- Modelled from regional relationships. Nobody measured this one.
Prices in Kraków
| Item | USD | PLN |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (monthly rent) | ||
| One-bedroom, city centre | $800 | PLN 3,142 |
| One-bedroom, outside the centre | $620 | PLN 2,435 |
| Three-bedroom, city centre | $1,450 | PLN 5,695 |
| Three-bedroom, outside the centre | $1,050 | PLN 4,124 |
| Buy price per m², city centre | $2,900 | PLN 11,391 |
| Bills | ||
| Utilities, 85m² apartment | $200 | PLN 786 |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps+ | $15 | PLN 59 |
| Mobile plan | $12 | PLN 47 |
| Food | ||
| Groceries, one adult per month | $268 | PLN 1,053 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | $10 | PLN 39 |
| Three-course dinner for two | $51 | PLN 200 |
| Coffee | $3.62 | PLN 14 |
| Beer in a bar | $4.29 | PLN 17 |
| Transport | ||
| Monthly transit pass | $33 | PLN 130 |
| Taxi, per km | $1.05 | PLN 4.12 |
| Petrol, per litre | $1.60 | PLN 6.28 |
| Health, family & lifestyle | ||
| Health insurance, per adult | $55 | PLN 216 |
| Doctor visit, out of pocket | $28 | PLN 110 |
| Full-time childcare, one child | $430 | PLN 1,689 |
| International school, per year | $14,000 | PLN 54,989 |
| Gym membership | $28 | PLN 110 |
| Cinema ticket | $8.00 | PLN 31 |
Prices are held in USD and converted at the August 2026 snapshot rate. Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Every figure carries its own provenance — see where these numbers come from.
Living and working here
Poland Business Harbour and national work visas. No dedicated nomad visa; the IP Box regime is popular with contractors.
1 USD ≈ PLN 3.93
Europe/Warsaw
continental climate
Compare Kraków with…
Getting set up in Kraków
The things people end up arranging in the first month in Kraków — usually in roughly this order. We have picked services that work before you have local residency, which is the constraint that catches most people out.
- AiraloesimData eSIM for the first weeks before you get a local number.
- SafetyWinginsuranceHealth and travel cover written for people living outside their home country.
- WisetransferMoving money between currencies without the bank spread.
- RevolutbankingA multi-currency account that works before you have local residency.
- Kiwi.comflightsOne-way and multi-city routing for a move rather than a return trip.
- Booking.comstaysSomewhere to land for the first month while you look at flats.
These are affiliate links: if you sign up, we may be paid a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what any of them costs, and it has no bearing on the numbers anywhere else on this page — those come from the model, not from anyone paying us.
Know what things really cost here?
No submissions yet. Yours would be the first.
We publish the median, not the mean — one mis-keyed rent should not move the number.
Frequently asked
How much money do you need per month to live in Kraków?
A single adult renting a one-bedroom in the centre and living moderately needs roughly $1,662 a month, of which $800 is rent. A couple sharing that flat needs about $2,266, and a family of four in a three-bedroom outside the centre with childcare needs about $4,226.
Is Kraków expensive?
On our index Kraków scores 26 where New York is 100 — about 74% below New York for the same household. The average local net salary of $1,450 a month covers 0.9× that budget.
What salary do you need in Kraków?
To cover the single-adult budget of $1,662 a month after tax, you need roughly $29,000 gross a year — before any saving. Add 30–40% on top if you want to save meaningfully.
How much is rent in Kraków?
A one-bedroom in the centre averages $800 a month, $620 outside the centre. A three-bedroom runs $1,450 central and $1,050 further out.
Can you work remotely from Kraków?
Poland Business Harbour and national work visas. No dedicated nomad visa; the IP Box regime is popular with contractors.
Sources
- World Bank – ICP price level & PPP indicators— price levels, purchasing power normalisation
- OECD – Prices and purchasing power parities— price levels, household consumption
- Open-Meteo historical climate archive— climate
- exchangerate.host / ECB reference rates— currency conversion
Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Read the full methodology.