Average living cost in Poland - a harsh reality for some?

I realise that you can go straight to Numbeo to check out the average living cost in Poland.

However, I thought it’d be helpful to share some information about the cost of living in my city – Łódź – and compare my findings with those on numbeo.com. As I lived in Gdańsk for nearly five years, it is inevitable that I will also want to make passing references to the cost of living in this city.

According to Numbeo, Łódź has the fifth highest cost of living index in Poland (as of January 12, 2026):

How are the cost of living indices calculated on Numbeo?

All of the cost of living indices on numbeo are relative to New York City. Therefore, indices for New York City stand at 100%.

In the table in the previous section, Łódź has a rent index of 14.7. This means that, on average, rents in Łódź are around 85% less expensive than in New York City.

The main cost of living index is a relative indicator of consumer goods prices, including groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities.

The cost of living index in Poland

I’ve never considered Poland to be an expensive country to live in. Indeed, I’ve even written about what is cheap in Poland compared with other EU countries, Serbia (where I lived for four years) and the UK.

Numbeo confirms that in the first month of 2026, Poland is now 67th in the world when it comes to the cost of living index.

The second column of figures represents the rent index.

I’ll now break down the cost of living index in Łódź, analysing areas as diverse as apartment prices, average rents per month, eating out, supermarket shopping, transportation, monthly utilities and private healthcare.

I’ll refer to some of my own experience rather than solely relying on average cost of living figures on Numbeo.

Finally, I’ll compare the cost of living in Łódź with average living costs in Gdańsk.

Real estate in Poland

Are you planning to purchase an apartment in Poland and settle down here?

Perhaps you’re an expat who’s been offered a job and you’re looking to rent an apartment in Poland?

Let’s check out the current state of play on the property market in Gdańsk.

Purchasing real estate in Łódź

As of the end of January 2026, it’s my impression that it’s getting more and more difficult to buy a flat constructed after the year 2015 in Łódź for less than 10,500 zl per square metre. This is particularly true for flats under 60 m2. Anything under this price tends to be located more on the outskirts of the city.

I’ve just run a search on Poland’s leading property portal otodom for properties in Łódź which cost between 8,000 zl and 10,500 zl per square metre. I set the earliest year of construction to 2015 and latest year of construction to 2024.

The search returned 302 results.

For less than 10,500 zl, it’s possible to buy an old flat or a flat from a developer with construction still in progress. However, this mostly applies to those districts further away from the centre of Łódź.

Prices on otodom are heavily inflated. I believe there’s tremendous scope to negotiate the price of apartments on the secondary real estate market down by at least 1,000 zł per square metre. According to zametr.pl, the average asking price of new apartments in Łódź is around 11,100 zł as of January 12, 2026.

I’ll leave you with some news about the sale of my property in Gdańsk in January 2025. I paid around 9,750 zł per square metre for it back in May 2019. I sold it for around 13,000 zł per square metre. In all truth, I probably overpaid for the flat by 300 zł per square metre. However, my wife and I had to find somewhere to live and wanted to make sure our offer would be accepted by the owners.

Comparing real estate prices in Gdańsk and Łódź

When it comes to the average transaction price of apartments in Gdańsk and Łódź, I have located the average transaction price of apartments for the third quarter of 2025. Here’s what I’ve found for the two cities:

As you can see, property prices on the secondary market (Rynek wtórny) have been higher than prices on the primary market (Rynek pierwotny) in Gdańsk at certain points in the past. The opposite is true in Łódź. One reason for this may be that many buildings on the secondary market in Łódź are very old and dilapidated. Therefore, buyers are more willing to pay extra for properties under construction.

Comparing rental prices in Gdańsk and Łódź

When it comes to renting out an apartment, be prepared to pay around 3,000-3,300 zł for a one-bedroom flat in Gdańsk that’s not right on the outskirts of the city or in an old communist block of flats.

As for the situation in Łódź, renters can expect to pay around 2,600 zł per month for a presentable one-bedroom apartment that’s within a short journey of the city centre by public transport.

Monthly utility bills

That old friend – czynsz administracyjny

I have previously written about the communal fees you have to pay as a landlord or tenant.

Called czynsz administracyjny, the communal fees bill covers such wonders as electricity (inside buildings), the renovation fund, waste disposal, lift maintenance, cold water and canalisation and the maintenance of green spaces.

Back in April 2019, I was quite surprised when the owner of the flat I wished to purchase in Gdańsk showed me one of the czynsz administracyjny bills. I had expected the monthly total to be around 650-700 zł. In fact, the total with two parking spaces and storage unit (komórka lokatorska) in the underground garage was around 540 zl.

Fast forward to January 2025. The current owners had to pay 895 zł as well as an additional 249 zł for maintenance costs related to the garage hall and storage unit. 1,144 zł a month in total. Goodness knows what the total fee is now.

When it comes to communal fees in newer buildings in Łódź, I don’t think they are much lower than those in Gdańsk. The flat I’m currently renting has a floor area of 66 m2 and my monthly communal charge is around 950 zł. Admittedly, the building, which was constructed in 2011, is quite a prestigious one.

It’s also worth mentioning that water and heating rates tend to be set at an average rate by property management companies. However, if you consume more than these average rates, you’ll have to pay extra.

Internet deals in Poland

It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to have high-speed fibre-optic Internet in Poland.

I’m currently with Orange will have to pay 75,01 zł between months 7 and 24 of a two-year contract for a speed of up to 600 Mb/s. There is no fee for internet service for the first six months of the agreement. I can confirm that the internet connection is stable and the download and upload speeds always match what my internet plan initially advertised.

Electricity

My electricity bill arrives every month.

My bill for the period from 12 November, 2025 to 8 December, 2025, came to 162 zł for 120 kWh of electricity use.

My wife and I didn’t leave Łódź during that period. It’s also worth pointing out that we work from home and use the oven and/or induction hob most days.

Grocery shopping in Poland

Food prices in supermarkets in Poland are comparable to prices in other EU countries.

Throughout 2023 up until December 2024, I kept tabs on prices of certain food and drink items at Carrefour supermarket in Gdańsk. Now that I live in Łódź, I recorded prices of staple foods for the third time at a Carrefour on January 10, 2026:

Restaurants and cafes in Polish cities

In general, it’s not expensive to eat out and have a coffee in Poland.

If you wish to go to a reputable pizza restaurant, indulge yourself in Polish cuisine or visit a pierogarnia (dumpling restaurant) two or three times a month, your wallet won’t take a hit.

One of my favourite places to eat out in Gdańsk is the dumpling restaurant Pierogarnia Mandu.

Mandu’s menu confirms that you can eat out well in Gdańsk for around 40-45 zl.

As for eating out in Łódź, my wife and I often go to a centrally-located restaurant called Cud Miód Fabryczna serves tasty meat-based main meals for around 60 zł and burger sets for as little as 45,99 zł.

Car ownership and public transport in major Polish cities

In major Polish cities, it’s not expensive to buy a fixed-period pass (e.g. monthly, ninety-day or yearly) to travel on public transport.

In December 2025, I paid 414 zł for a ninety-day pass to use public transport in Łódź. It costs 168 zł for a thirty-day pass and 1490 zł for a 12-month ticket. Timed tickets are quite cheap in Łódź. It costs 4,40 zł for a twenty-minute ticket.

When it comes to monthly public transport tickets, the situation is rather more favourable in Gdańsk:

Since April 3, 2023, it has cost 117 zł for a monthly pass valid on all days of the week. A monthly ticket enables one to travel on regular, fast and night bus and tram routes within Gdańsk city limits.

I’ve just taken a look at the price per thirty-day period in other major Polish cities, namely Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań and Wrocław. Gdańsk is among the cheapest cities when it comes to monthly travel. Remarkably, public transport in Warsaw is cheaper than in any other city.

I never hesitated to pay 117 zł for a monthly pass in Gdańsk. It was a lot less hassle to take a tram into town than it was to sit in traffic jams and drive around looking for a parking spot. The traffic is a lot heavier in Łódź so I try to avoid driving in this city as well.

As for fuel prices, a litre of petrol 95 in Łódź costs around 5.60 zł. Diesel costs a little more (around 6,00 zł) as of January 12, 2026.

When it comes to comprehensive car insurance, it costs around 200 zł a month for a policy with basic variants.

Overall, I believe that the average living cost in Poland becomes much lower if you’re prepared to use public transport on a regular basis.

Healthcare

My wife and I currently have access to public medical services offered by the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia; NFZ).

Nevertheless, I have some experience with searching for prices for private healthcare packages.

Back in 2020, I was in contact with an agent working for Medicover.

The package he was determinedly trying to flog me for several weeks was Elite +. The Elite Plus package offers comprehensive outpatient care, unlimited home visits, hospital treatment and medical care overseas.

The price I was quoted for my wife and me – 653 zl per month.

I don’t doubt that the package is “fully comprehensive”, but I can’t afford that sort of money.

So, my wife and I rely on emergency treatment provided by the NFZ. Moreover, we visit private specialists when we need to. Most specialists in Łódź charge around 200-300 zl for a consultation, which is quite reasonable in this day and age.

My wife and I don’t hang out in medical clinics all that much. However, we may look into purchasing a cheaper basic medical package one day which provides assistance in emergency situations, outpatient procedures and consultations with doctors.

The screenshot below summarises Medicover’s Standard + package, with the annual fee for two adults – quite fair I believe:

Salaries and adding things up

Let’s just recap. Our imaginary couple are renting out a two-bedroom 66 m2 flat in a newly-built block of flats in Łódź. They are childless, mostly rely on public transport but still run a car.

I will now add things up so you can get a better sense of the average living cost in a major Polish city:

Rent – 3200 zł
Communal fees, electricity and Internet – 900 zł
Groceries – 1450 zł
Restaurants and cafes – 280 zł
Monthly transportation tickets – 276 zł
Petrol and car insurance – 480 zł
Basic private healthcare package – 215 zł (for two)

TOTAL = 6801 zł

Of course, you would need to add the cost of cosmetics and other leisure activities to the above.

If you wish to set up as a sole trader in Poland (I currently run a company teaching English here), social insurance contributions will set you back at least 850,00 zł from the seventh month of operations.

According to the Statistical Office in Łódź, the average monthly gross salary in the corporate sector in Łódź for November 2025 was 8,445.98 zł.

Summing up, I may conclude that most couples (with or without children) might struggle to keep up with the average living cost in major Polish cities if only one person works.