Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Poland Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Poland

Name: Poland
Address: PL

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $1,429 in Poland.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $2,073 in Poland.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $2,717 in Poland.

Living in Italy is roughly 20% more expensive than in Poland on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 29% above, Poland 7% above.

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,176 to $2,467, compared to $1,137–$2,025 in Poland. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.40

$11.04 zł 41.90

59.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.2

$48.66 zł 185

69.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.26

$8.85 zł 33.58

32.43%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$3.77 zł 14.30

-49.07%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$1.97 zł 7.48

51.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$1.71 zł 6.48

-20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$3.87 zł 14.68

48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$4.09 zł 15.52

27.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.07 zł 4.08

57.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$1.37 zł 5.21

70.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$1.50 zł 5.68

103.33%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$3.45 zł 13.09

15.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.61

$9.34 zł 35.46

78.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.01

$6.56 zł 24.88

91.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.98

$12.38 zł 46.96

65.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$1.10 zł 4.19

132.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$1.73 zł 6.56

27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.35

$1.80 zł 6.85

48.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$2.89 zł 10.97

16.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.79

$0.99 zł 3.76

106.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.16 zł 4.42

62.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$1.30 zł 4.95

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.69 zł 2.63

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.13

$5.36 zł 20.34

30.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.21

$6.66 zł 25.27

6.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$1.15 zł 4.35

56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.20

$1.65 zł 6.25

52.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.11 zł 4.20

76.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.42

$32.50 zł 123

27.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$2.37 zł 8.99

144.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$0.82 zł 3.10

95.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.71

$13.48 zł 51.2

160.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.87

$1.77 zł 6.71

20.34%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$33.7K zł 127.7K

-3.26%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$30.8K zł 116.9K

9.65%

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

$225 €197

$300 zł 1,139

-25.06%

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

$13.14 €11.51

$9.90 zł 37.55

32.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.31

$16.96 zł 64.4

83.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.1

$38.41 zł 146

48.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.64

$21.64 zł 82.1

19.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$8.24 zł 31.27

25.49%

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

$564 €494

$392 zł 1,487

43.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,057

$9,923 zł 37.6K

4.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.5

$82.6 zł 313

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.51

$41.07 zł 156

-1.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €86.0

$91.4 zł 347

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$101 zł 383

30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €749

$782 zł 2,967

9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €581

$635 zł 2,409

4.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,333

$1,275 zł 4,838

19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €954

$1,005 zł 3,812

8.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,282

$3,698 zł 14.0K

1.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,013

$2,698 zł 10.2K

-14.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,661

$1,649 zł 6,257

15.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

6.91

-36.18%

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

Last update for Italy: July 11, 2026

Last update for Poland: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $648 in Poland. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $1,135 in Warsaw.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $1,384 in Poland. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 72% more in Italy.

Public transport is 38% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 38% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

Italy vs Poland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,822 per month in Italy and $1,581 in Poland, there's a 15% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Poland: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Poland across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Poland, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Poland wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.