Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katowice and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Katowice: $1,447 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Katowice
Learn more

Katowice Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more

Krakow Living Index

Jump to prices

Katowice

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,447

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Katowice versus $1,806 in Krakow.

Katowice $1,447
Krakow $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Katowice versus $2,604 in Krakow.

Katowice $2,057
Krakow $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,668 in Katowice versus $3,403 in Krakow.

Katowice $2,668
Krakow $3,403

Living in Katowice costs roughly 20% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Katowice 6% above, Krakow 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 zł 40.17

$12.05 zł 47.63

-15.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.95 zł 138

$50.8 zł 201

-31.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.73 zł 34.50

$9.37 zł 37.05

-6.83%

Cappuccino

$3.51 zł 13.87

$4.08 zł 16.14

-13.97%

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

$2.73 zł 10.80

$2.45 zł 9.68

11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 zł 10.32

$2.33 zł 9.21

12.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 zł 14.22

$4.45 zł 17.61

-19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 zł 17.83

$4.63 zł 18.29

-2.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 zł 3.85

$1.11 zł 4.39

-12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 zł 4.92

$1.45 zł 5.72

-13.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 zł 5.89

$1.74 zł 6.89

-14.37%

Eggs

$3.33 zł 13.16

$3.82 zł 15.10

-12.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 zł 31.06

$9.24 zł 36.54

-14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 zł 21.57

$7.79 zł 30.80

-29.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.59 zł 53.7

$13.17 zł 52.1

3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 zł 4.27

$1.28 zł 5.04

-15.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 zł 5.74

$1.74 zł 6.89

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 zł 5.80

$1.77 zł 7.00

-16.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 zł 10.05

$3.10 zł 12.25

-18.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 zł 3.79

$0.88 zł 3.48

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 zł 3.20

$0.97 zł 3.84

-16.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 zł 5.02

$1.25 zł 4.94

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 zł 2.49

$0.78 zł 3.08

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.80 zł 22.94

$6.28 zł 24.81

-7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 zł 24.65

$6.47 zł 25.58

-3.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 zł 3.95

$1.18 zł 4.65

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 zł 6.35

$1.65 zł 6.52

-2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 zł 4.50

$1.48 zł 5.86

-22.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.60 zł 121

$34.13 zł 135

-10.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 zł 7.19

$2.25 zł 8.91

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 zł 2.71

$1.04 zł 4.13

-33.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.68 zł 42.20

$12.35 zł 48.82

-13.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 zł 6.81

$1.66 zł 6.57

3.61%

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

$30.5K zł 120.7K

$29.8K zł 117.6K

2.63%

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

$27.0K zł 106.9K

$29.2K zł 115.3K

-7.31%

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

$283 zł 1,118

$332 zł 1,313

-14.87%

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

$7.72 zł 30.51

$8.48 zł 33.51

-8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.37 zł 68.7

$17.59 zł 69.5

-1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 zł 134

$44.76 zł 177

-24.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 zł 70.2

$24.52 zł 96.9

-27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 zł 29.52

$8.67 zł 34.27

-13.84%

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

$554 zł 2,192

$449 zł 1,777

23.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K zł 48.1K

$9,675 zł 38.2K

25.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 zł 266

$95.0 zł 376

-29.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 zł 123

$40.05 zł 158

-22.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 zł 350

$89.4 zł 353

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 zł 368

$121 zł 478

-23.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 zł 2,700

$909 zł 3,591

-24.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 zł 2,065

$724 zł 2,861

-27.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 zł 3,983

$1,490 zł 5,891

-32.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 zł 3,278

$1,193 zł 4,716

-30.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,145 zł 12.4K

$5,323 zł 21.0K

-40.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,003 zł 7,918

$3,604 zł 14.2K

-44.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,752 zł 6,926

$1,867 zł 7,380

-6.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

6.62

8.61%

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

Last update for Katowice: October 25, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katowice

$522 36.1%

Krakow

$724 40.1% 38.5% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katowice

$308 21.3%

Krakow

$358 19.8% 16.4% $50

Groceries & Markets

Katowice

$204 14.1%

Krakow

$235 13% 15.2% $31

Eating Out

Katowice

$198 13.7%

Krakow

$224 12.4% 13.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Katowice

$126 8.7%

Krakow

$155 8.6% 23.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Katowice

$49 3.4%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 27.3% $13

Getting Around

Katowice

$40 2.8%

Krakow

$48 2.6% 17.7% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Katowice and $909 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 7% 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: $35 in Katowice vs $51 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $235 per month, with Katowice cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Katowice

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

Same time as Katowice

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

286,960

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Katowice Krakow 68 km

From you

Katowice
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

Katowice vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,447 in Katowice and $1,806 in Krakow, so Katowice is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Katowice. 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: $683 in Katowice versus $909 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in Katowice versus $449 in Krakow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Katowice 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, Katowice and Krakow are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Katowice gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.