Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cieszyn and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Cieszyn: $1,402 a month against $1,784 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Cieszyn
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Cieszyn Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Cieszyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,402

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Cieszyn versus $1,784 in Krakow.

Cieszyn $1,402
Krakow $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,000 in Cieszyn versus $2,566 in Krakow.

Cieszyn $2,000
Krakow $2,566

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,598 in Cieszyn versus $3,348 in Krakow.

Cieszyn $2,598
Krakow $3,348

Living in Cieszyn 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: Cieszyn 4% above, Krakow 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 zł 28.21

$11.50 zł 45.23

-37.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.97 zł 149

$50.1 zł 197

-24.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 zł 34.14

$9.26 zł 36.44

-6.26%

Cappuccino

$2.98 zł 11.71

$4.21 zł 16.56

-29.22%

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

$1.74 zł 6.83

$2.36 zł 9.30

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 zł 4.85

$2.34 zł 9.20

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 zł 18.51

$4.58 zł 18.02

2.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 zł 14.86

$4.51 zł 17.74

-16.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 zł 3.93

$1.02 zł 4.02

-1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 zł 4.09

$1.43 zł 5.61

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.86

$1.60 zł 6.30

8.75%

Eggs

$2.00 zł 7.86

$3.88 zł 15.25

-48.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 zł 35.34

$9.31 zł 36.61

-3.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 zł 30.03

$7.80 zł 30.69

-2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 zł 52.3

$13.43 zł 52.8

-1.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.97

$1.31 zł 5.14

-22.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 zł 5.86

$1.72 zł 6.76

-13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 zł 6.73

$1.80 zł 7.07

-5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 zł 4.92

$3.11 zł 12.23

-59.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 zł 2.87

$0.97 zł 3.80

-24.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$0.98 zł 3.87

-18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 zł 4.70

$1.28 zł 5.05

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 zł 2.95

$0.78 zł 3.07

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 zł 22.04

$6.14 zł 24.16

-8.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 zł 24.89

$6.36 zł 25.02

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 zł 4.08

$1.24 zł 4.86

-16.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 zł 6.59

$1.61 zł 6.34

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 zł 4.09

$1.49 zł 5.88

-30.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.52 zł 116

$32.51 zł 128

-9.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 zł 8.90

$2.25 zł 8.85

0.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 zł 3.45

$0.98 zł 3.86

-10.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 zł 48.33

$12.72 zł 50.0

-3.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 zł 6.62

$1.74 zł 6.84

-3.45%

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

$31.0K zł 121.8K

$29.9K zł 117.5K

3.64%

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

$28.4K zł 111.7K

$28.2K zł 110.8K

0.81%

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

$257 zł 1,011

$319 zł 1,255

-19.47%

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

$8.66 zł 34.09

$8.85 zł 34.82

-2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.38 zł 68.4

$17.45 zł 68.7

-0.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.50 zł 151

$43.45 zł 171

-11.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 zł 87.3

$24.39 zł 96.0

-9.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.59 zł 29.87

$8.39 zł 33.02

-9.54%

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

$154 zł 606

$436 zł 1,716

-64.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,544 zł 37.6K

$12.6K zł 49.5K

-24.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.87 zł 177

$96.9 zł 381

-53.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.60 zł 152

$40.89 zł 161

-5.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 zł 349

$89.4 zł 352

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 475

$117 zł 462

2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 zł 2,297

$918 zł 3,613

-36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 zł 2,064

$722 zł 2,841

-27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 zł 3,847

$1,514 zł 5,956

-35.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 zł 3,208

$1,169 zł 4,600

-30.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,928 zł 11.5K

$5,415 zł 21.3K

-45.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 zł 8,570

$3,560 zł 14.0K

-38.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,466 zł 5,770

$1,888 zł 7,427

-22.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.59

0.46%

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

Last update for Cieszyn: October 31, 2026

Last update for Krakow: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cieszyn

$525 37.4%

Krakow

$722 40.5% 37.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cieszyn

$283 20.2%

Krakow

$345 19.4% 22% $62

Groceries & Markets

Cieszyn

$206 14.7%

Krakow

$235 13.2% 13.8% $29

Eating Out

Cieszyn

$162 11.6%

Krakow

$221 12.4% 36.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cieszyn

$132 9.4%

Krakow

$155 8.7% 17.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cieszyn

$54 3.8%

Krakow

$60 3.4% 12.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Cieszyn

$40 2.9%

Krakow

$46 2.6% 13.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $584 in Cieszyn and $918 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Cieszyn vs $50 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $235 per month, with Cieszyn cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Cieszyn

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

Same time as Cieszyn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,757

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cieszyn Krakow 98 km

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Cieszyn
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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

Cieszyn vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,402 in Cieszyn and $1,784 in Krakow, so Cieszyn is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Cieszyn. 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: $584 in Cieszyn versus $918 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cieszyn runs roughly 9% less than in Krakow. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $154 in Cieszyn versus $436 in Krakow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cieszyn gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Cieszyn and Krakow are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cieszyn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.