Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielsko-biala and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielsko-biala: $1,480 a month against $1,815 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Bielsko-biala
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Bielsko-biala Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Bielsko-biala

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,480

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bielsko-biala and in Krakow

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bielsko-biala and in Krakow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,480 in Bielsko-biala versus $1,815 in Krakow.

Bielsko-biala $1,480
Krakow $1,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Bielsko-biala versus $2,587 in Krakow.

Bielsko-biala $2,131
Krakow $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,782 in Bielsko-biala versus $3,359 in Krakow.

Bielsko-biala $2,782
Krakow $3,359

Living in Bielsko-biala costs roughly 18% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bielsko-biala 10% above, Krakow 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 zł 36.70

$11.83 zł 45.95

-20.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.98 zł 179

$50.5 zł 196

-8.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 zł 34.76

$9.81 zł 38.12

-8.77%

Cappuccino

$3.61 zł 14.03

$4.22 zł 16.40

-14.45%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 zł 8.60

$2.59 zł 10.06

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 zł 5.27

$2.35 zł 9.12

-42.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 zł 14.66

$4.63 zł 17.98

-18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 zł 14.73

$4.72 zł 18.32

-19.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.03

$1.07 zł 4.14

-2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 zł 4.30

$1.50 zł 5.84

-26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 zł 5.40

$1.76 zł 6.83

-21.02%

Eggs

$2.87 zł 11.16

$3.90 zł 15.13

-26.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 zł 31.95

$9.40 zł 36.53

-12.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 zł 22.77

$7.87 zł 30.57

-25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.75 zł 37.88

$13.41 zł 52.1

-27.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$1.34 zł 5.20

-12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 zł 6.25

$1.69 zł 6.56

-4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 zł 8.19

$1.80 zł 6.98

17.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 zł 7.53

$3.07 zł 11.93

-36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 zł 3.10

$0.88 zł 3.40

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.07

$1.02 zł 3.98

-22.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 zł 4.03

$1.21 zł 4.70

-14.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 zł 2.41

$0.80 zł 3.12

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.91 zł 19.09

$6.24 zł 24.24

-21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 zł 24.61

$6.40 zł 24.86

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 zł 4.29

$1.21 zł 4.70

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.41

$1.67 zł 6.49

-1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 zł 4.85

$1.57 zł 6.10

-20.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.33 zł 141

$33.06 zł 128

9.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 zł 5.85

$2.22 zł 8.63

-31.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 zł 2.09

$1.01 zł 3.91

-46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.36 zł 36.38

$12.48 zł 48.51

-25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.67 zł 6.49

-0.60%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.8K zł 119.7K

$30.7K zł 119.3K

0.31%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.6K zł 99.5K

$28.6K zł 111.2K

-10.50%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$291 zł 1,132

$325 zł 1,261

-10.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.48 zł 32.95

$8.70 zł 33.80

-2.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.92 zł 65.8

$17.84 zł 69.3

-5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 zł 159

$45.16 zł 175

-9.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.81 zł 174

$24.28 zł 94.3

84.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 zł 27.51

$8.57 zł 33.29

-17.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$286 zł 1,111

$463 zł 1,799

-38.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,529 zł 9,825

$9,760 zł 37.9K

-74.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 zł 283

$96.7 zł 376

-24.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 zł 156

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 zł 343

$89.1 zł 346

-1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 zł 370

$122 zł 473

-21.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 zł 2,351

$937 zł 3,642

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 zł 2,139

$735 zł 2,854

-25.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 zł 6,606

$1,477 zł 5,738

15.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 zł 3,355

$1,147 zł 4,456

-24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,428 zł 9,433

$5,395 zł 21.0K

-55.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 zł 7,545

$3,529 zł 13.7K

-44.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,435 zł 5,574

$1,894 zł 7,360

-24.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

6.62

3.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bielsko-biala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bielsko-biala

$551 37.2%

Krakow

$735 40.5% 33.4% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielsko-biala

$317 21.4%

Krakow

$351 19.4% 10.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Bielsko-biala

$192 13%

Krakow

$237 13.1% 23.1% $44

Eating Out

Bielsko-biala

$186 12.6%

Krakow

$227 12.5% 21.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bielsko-biala

$133 9%

Krakow

$156 8.6% 17.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bielsko-biala

$55 3.7%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 13.2% $7.3

Getting Around

Bielsko-biala

$46 3.1%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 2.4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $605 in Bielsko-biala and $937 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 32% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Bielsko-biala vs $50.0 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $237 per month, with Bielsko-biala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bielsko-biala

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

Same time as Bielsko-biala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,756

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bielsko-biala Krakow 69 km

From you

Bielsko-biala
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bielsko-biala vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bielsko-biala and Krakow differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,480 vs $1,815 including rent). Bielsko-biala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Krakow. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $605 in Bielsko-biala versus $937 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bielsko-biala runs roughly 10% less than in Krakow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $286 in Bielsko-biala versus $463 in Krakow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,480 in Bielsko-biala versus $1,815 in Krakow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bielsko-biala but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Bielsko-biala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bielsko-biala and Krakow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bielsko-biala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.