# Cost of living in Prague, Czechia

> Best public transport per dollar in Europe, a flat-ish 15% income tax, and a rental market tightening every year.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/prague
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 35% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** CZK
- **Region:** Central & Eastern Europe
- **Cost index:** 31 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,005 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,633 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $4,914 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $1,050 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $169 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $28 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $21 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $288 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $58 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $53 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $40 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $14 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $33 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $47 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $20 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $36 | derived | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $9.35 | derived | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $68 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $71 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$2,005** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Czechia:

- Income tax: $16,841
- Employee social contributions: $11,600
- Take-home: $71,559/year ($5,963/month)
- Effective rate: 28.4%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $3,958/month

Average local net salary: $1,600/month, which covers 0.8x the one-adult budget.

- The 60/40 flat-expense trade licence regime is the norm for freelancers.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 84 |
| Healthcare | 80 |
| Air quality | 60 |
| Public transport | 94 |
| Walkability | 90 |
| English proficiency | 60 |
| Family friendliness | 80 |
| Nightlife | 90 |
| Median broadband | 120 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 10°C; summer highs 25°C; winter lows -3°C; 1670 sunshine hours and 530 mm of rain a year. Climate type: continental.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 1.9, 3, 6.6, 10.3, 14.6, 19.8, 21.4, 20.9, 17, 11.3, 4.5, 2.4.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 42, 36, 32, 55, 62, 54, 64, 82, 81, 52, 55, 51.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- Živnostenský list (trade licence) plus the Czech digital-nomad programme for selected nationalities.
- Coast: landlocked
- Time zone: Europe/Prague
- Metro population: 2.7 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 35% derived, 65% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- Eurostat price level indices (prc_ppp_ind) (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/prc_ppp_ind/default/table), as of 2024

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/prague
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/prague
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities