In my post on the average living cost in Poland, I reveal the typical monthly expenses for a childless couple in Poland. However, I’m writing this post to make things even more personal. As a childless married man living in Łódź who’s currently operating as a sole trader, I reveal all of my current monthly fixed and variable expenses.
My Monthly Expenses
First of all, here are the main monthly expenses my wife and I incur.
- Rent with a parking space (newer build, 50 m2) – 3,100 zł
- Communal fees – 850 zł
- Internet – 90 zł
- Electricity – 150 zł (variable)
- Mobile telephone (Play Pakiet S – two people) – 60 zł
- Grocery shopping/household necessities – 1,250 zł (worst-case scenario)
- Restaurants and cafes – 350 zł
- Petrol and public transport tickets – 150 zł
- Comprehensive car insurance – 200 zł
- Social insurance contributions including public healthcare for a sole proprietor – 880 zł
- Accounting services – 240 zł
TOTAL = 7,320 zł
Analysis
The majority of the typical monthly expenses for a childless couple in Poland I have shared above are naturally variable. For example, my grocery bill is sometimes a lot lower than 1,250 zł because my parents-in-law give my wife and me a lot of food. We tend to visit them in Bosnia two or three times a year. However, I consider the total of 7,320 zł to be a realistic estimation for those months when our food stocks are low and we have to shop for groceries.
In recent years, there have been months when my wife attended quite a few physiotherapy sessions. That pushed the total figure up by at least another 500 zł.
Childless couples renting in Warsaw or Kraków could easily add another 1,000 zł to the total of 7,320 zł. Newly constructed apartments of between 50-70 m2 may set tenants back around 4,000-4,500 zł in and around the centre of Warsaw.
Overall, my wife and I live quite modestly. It’s true that we like to go out for coffee two or three times a week. Nevertheless, we very rarely eat out.
Income
As things stand, my wife is unemployed and I am self-employed. If my total monthly expenses come to the estimated total provided (7,320 zł), I would ideally want my income to be around 8,700 zł to cover any unforeseen expenses and for our general peace of mind.
My wife and I sold our flat in Gdańsk in January 2025 and, for reasons I won’t go into now, we decided not to buy in Łódź straightaway. However, I invested the money from that sale in various bonds which gives me a payout of around 3,200 zł a month after tax is deducted. We are planning to buy a flat in the summer of 2026.
I won’t reveal exactly how much I earn from teaching English in Poland but I am satisfied with the way things are going. Online teaching is my main form of income.
The way things stand in the summer of 2026
As a sole entrepreneur, around 1,100 zł of my monthly expenses are connected with the running of my company.
My latest analysis of food prices in Poland (January 10, 2026) didn’t reveal any significant rises in the price of household staples.
As I have just stated, my wife and I are planning to buy a flat in the summer of 2026. Ideally, we’d like to find a place with lower communal fees (czynsz adminystracyjny) than we have been used to paying – first in Gdańsk, and also with the two apartments we rented in Łódź.