Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Elblag

For one person, living is cheaper in Elblag: $1,457 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Elblag
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Elblag Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Elblag

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Elblag

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Krakow versus $1,457 in Elblag.

Krakow $1,806
Elblag $1,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Krakow versus $2,110 in Elblag.

Krakow $2,604
Elblag $2,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Krakow versus $2,762 in Elblag.

Krakow $3,403
Elblag $2,762

Living in Krakow is roughly 24% more expensive than in Elblag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 33% above, Elblag 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 zł 47.63

$12.10 zł 47.82

-0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 201

$27.08 zł 107

87.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 zł 37.05

$7.47 zł 29.52

25.44%

Cappuccino

$4.08 zł 16.14

$3.53 zł 13.94

15.58%

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

$2.45 zł 9.68

$2.17 zł 8.58

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 zł 9.21

$1.64 zł 6.50

42.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.61

$3.13 zł 12.38

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 zł 18.29

$3.76 zł 14.85

23.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 zł 4.39

$0.99 zł 3.93

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 zł 5.72

$1.62 zł 6.40

-10.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.89

$0.91 zł 3.60

91.21%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.10

$3.70 zł 14.63

3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 zł 36.54

$8.91 zł 35.22

3.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.80

$6.94 zł 27.43

12.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 zł 52.1

$11.75 zł 46.47

12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 zł 5.04

$1.36 zł 5.36

-5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.89

$1.73 zł 6.83

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 zł 7.00

$1.60 zł 6.34

10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.25

$3.20 zł 12.63

-3.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.48

$0.75 zł 2.95

17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.84

$1.32 zł 5.20

-26.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 zł 4.94

$1.15 zł 4.56

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.08

$0.53 zł 2.11

47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 zł 24.81

$4.21 zł 16.63

49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 zł 25.58

$6.50 zł 25.69

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.65

$0.53 zł 2.08

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.52

$1.35 zł 5.34

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 zł 5.86

$1.01 zł 3.98

46.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 zł 135

$24.69 zł 97.6

38.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.91

$2.10 zł 8.30

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.13

$0.78 zł 3.10

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 zł 48.82

$10.19 zł 40.29

21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.57

$1.53 zł 6.06

8.50%

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

$29.8K zł 117.6K

$30.8K zł 121.9K

-3.46%

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

$29.2K zł 115.3K

$25.3K zł 100.1K

15.16%

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

$332 zł 1,313

$283 zł 1,120

17.24%

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

$8.48 zł 33.51

$8.14 zł 32.19

4.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.59 zł 69.5

$13.81 zł 54.6

27.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 zł 177

$42.10 zł 166

6.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 zł 96.9

$21.62 zł 85.5

13.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 zł 34.27

$5.47 zł 21.60

58.50%

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

$449 zł 1,777

$323 zł 1,278

39.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,675 zł 38.2K

$1,952 zł 7,715

395.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 zł 376

$80.7 zł 319

17.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 zł 158

$36.60 zł 145

9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 353

$87.3 zł 345

2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 478

$98.4 zł 389

22.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 zł 3,591

$604 zł 2,388

50.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 zł 2,861

$513 zł 2,028

41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 zł 5,891

$992 zł 3,923

50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 zł 4,716

$896 zł 3,540

33.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,323 zł 21.0K

$2,130 zł 8,420

149.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,604 zł 14.2K

$2,224 zł 8,791

62.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 zł 7,380

$1,295 zł 5,118

44.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.89

-3.92%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Last update for Elblag: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$724 40.1%

Elblag

$513 35.2% 29.1% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$358 19.8%

Elblag

$305 20.9% 14.8% $53

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Elblag

$215 14.8% 8.3% $19

Eating Out

Krakow

$224 12.4%

Elblag

$200 13.7% 10.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.6%

Elblag

$136 9.4% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Elblag

$53 3.6% 14.6% $9.1

Getting Around

Krakow

$48 2.6%

Elblag

$35 2.4% 26.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $909 in Krakow and $604 in Elblag. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $51 in Krakow vs $27 in Elblag for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $215 per month, with Elblag cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Elblag

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

122,899

💱 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

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Krakow Elblag 460 km

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Krakow
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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

Krakow vs Elblag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elblag is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Krakow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $909 in Krakow versus $604 in Elblag. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Elblag – a meal for two runs $27 versus $51 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Elblag gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.