Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bydgoszcz and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Bydgoszcz: $1,461 a month against $1,846 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bydgoszcz
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Bydgoszcz Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Bydgoszcz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bydgoszcz 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 Bydgoszcz and in Krakow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,461 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,846 in Krakow.

Bydgoszcz $1,461
Krakow $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,221 in Bydgoszcz versus $2,616 in Krakow.

Bydgoszcz $2,221
Krakow $2,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,981 in Bydgoszcz versus $3,387 in Krakow.

Bydgoszcz $2,981
Krakow $3,387

Living in Bydgoszcz costs roughly 21% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bydgoszcz 8% above, Krakow 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 zł 47.25

$12.23 zł 47.52

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 zł 245

$51.0 zł 198

23.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 zł 30.21

$9.60 zł 37.30

-18.96%

Cappuccino

$3.42 zł 13.29

$4.11 zł 15.98

-16.79%

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

$2.10 zł 8.17

$2.55 zł 9.91

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 zł 6.61

$2.43 zł 9.43

-30.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 zł 15.02

$4.68 zł 18.20

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 zł 14.25

$4.69 zł 18.22

-21.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.06

$1.06 zł 4.12

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 zł 6.54

$1.47 zł 5.70

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.77

$1.70 zł 6.61

-42.94%

Eggs

$3.86 zł 14.98

$3.82 zł 14.84

1.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 zł 35.72

$9.50 zł 36.90

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 zł 26.95

$7.98 zł 30.99

-13.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 zł 46.52

$13.53 zł 52.6

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 zł 5.30

$1.32 zł 5.13

3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.56

$1.74 zł 6.76

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.74 zł 6.75

-11.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 zł 12.30

$3.17 zł 12.32

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.62

$0.94 zł 3.63

-1.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.12

$0.99 zł 3.84

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 zł 4.38

$1.27 zł 4.93

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 zł 2.57

$0.81 zł 3.15

-18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 zł 22.02

$6.49 zł 25.23

-12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 zł 31.59

$6.26 zł 24.33

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$1.18 zł 4.60

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 zł 5.55

$1.74 zł 6.77

-17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 zł 3.71

$1.52 zł 5.89

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.75 zł 108

$33.87 zł 132

-18.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 zł 8.30

$2.35 zł 9.12

-8.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 zł 3.04

$1.04 zł 4.04

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 zł 39.18

$12.50 zł 48.57

-19.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 zł 6.03

$1.76 zł 6.85

-11.93%

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

$30.7K zł 119.2K

$30.6K zł 118.8K

0.30%

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

$29.7K zł 115.2K

$29.1K zł 113.1K

1.88%

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

$282 zł 1,095

$333 zł 1,294

-15.36%

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

$7.93 zł 30.83

$8.93 zł 34.69

-11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.87 zł 73.3

$17.43 zł 67.7

8.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.69 zł 154

$45.29 zł 176

-12.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.79 zł 65.2

$24.55 zł 95.4

-31.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 zł 29.97

$8.53 zł 33.13

-9.61%

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

$329 zł 1,278

$458 zł 1,780

-28.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,120 zł 19.9K

$9,863 zł 38.3K

-48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 zł 319

$96.9 zł 376

-15.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 zł 141

$40.40 zł 157

-10.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 347

$91.5 zł 356

-2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 zł 392

$122 zł 472

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 zł 2,633

$940 zł 3,653

-27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 zł 1,907

$753 zł 2,925

-34.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 zł 4,336

$1,443 zł 5,607

-22.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 zł 3,481

$1,152 zł 4,477

-22.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,864 zł 11.1K

$5,535 zł 21.5K

-48.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 zł 8,409

$3,525 zł 13.7K

-38.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,497 zł 5,817

$1,883 zł 7,314

-20.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.62

4.08%

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

Last update for Bydgoszcz: October 19, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bydgoszcz

$491 33.6%

Krakow

$753 40.8% 53.4% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bydgoszcz

$309 21.1%

Krakow

$359 19.5% 16.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Bydgoszcz

$226 15.5%

Krakow

$238 12.9% 5.1% $12

Eating Out

Bydgoszcz

$204 13.9%

Krakow

$229 12.4% 12.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bydgoszcz

$139 9.5%

Krakow

$158 8.5% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bydgoszcz

$55 3.8%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 13.1% $7.2

Getting Around

Bydgoszcz

$38 2.6%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 26.2% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bydgoszcz and $940 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 26% 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: $63.0 in Bydgoszcz vs $51.0 in Krakow. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $238, with Bydgoszcz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

Same time as Bydgoszcz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

359,428

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

Bydgoszcz Krakow 370 km

From you

Bydgoszcz
Krakow

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

Bydgoszcz vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bydgoszcz wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bydgoszcz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $678 in Bydgoszcz versus $940 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Bydgoszcz versus $458 in Krakow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,461 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,846 in Krakow, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bydgoszcz but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Bydgoszcz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bydgoszcz delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bydgoszcz hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bydgoszcz 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 Bydgoszcz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.