Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Lodz

For one person, living is cheaper in Lodz: $1,492 a month against $1,846 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
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Lodz Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,846

/mo nomad

Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Lodz

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 Lodz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Krakow versus $1,492 in Lodz.

Krakow $1,846
Lodz $1,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,616 in Krakow versus $2,191 in Lodz.

Krakow $2,616
Lodz $2,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Krakow versus $2,889 in Lodz.

Krakow $3,387
Lodz $2,889

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 36% above, Lodz 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 zł 48.02

$9.67 zł 37.97

26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 zł 200

$46.77 zł 184

9.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 zł 37.69

$8.80 zł 34.54

9.09%

Cappuccino

$4.11 zł 16.15

$3.55 zł 13.95

15.77%

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

$2.55 zł 10.02

$2.80 zł 10.98

-8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 zł 9.53

$2.72 zł 10.67

-10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 zł 18.39

$4.65 zł 18.28

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 zł 18.41

$5.16 zł 20.27

-9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.16

$0.98 zł 3.87

8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.76

$1.08 zł 4.23

36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 zł 6.68

$1.34 zł 5.28

26.87%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.00

$3.47 zł 13.61

10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 zł 37.29

$10.50 zł 41.23

-9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 zł 31.32

$6.92 zł 27.17

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 zł 53.1

$11.97 zł 47.01

13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.18

$1.15 zł 4.51

14.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.84

$1.67 zł 6.54

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.82

$2.32 zł 9.11

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 zł 12.45

$3.00 zł 11.77

5.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 zł 3.67

$0.78 zł 3.08

20.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 zł 3.88

$0.93 zł 3.67

6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 zł 4.98

$1.40 zł 5.48

-9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 zł 3.18

$0.60 zł 2.35

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 zł 25.50

$5.80 zł 22.78

11.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 zł 24.58

$6.76 zł 26.54

-7.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.65

$1.16 zł 4.54

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 zł 6.84

$1.75 zł 6.89

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 zł 5.95

$1.10 zł 4.31

38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.87 zł 133

$52.1 zł 205

-35.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 zł 9.21

$1.54 zł 6.06

52.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.09

$0.54 zł 2.11

92.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.50 zł 49.08

$9.35 zł 36.71

33.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 zł 6.92

$1.61 zł 6.31

9.32%

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

$30.6K zł 120.1K

$30.4K zł 119.2K

0.72%

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

$29.1K zł 114.3K

$28.3K zł 111.0K

2.98%

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

$333 zł 1,307

$321 zł 1,259

3.83%

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

$8.93 zł 35.06

$8.43 zł 33.09

5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.43 zł 68.5

$17.64 zł 69.2

-1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.29 zł 178

$36.34 zł 143

24.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.55 zł 96.4

$17.84 zł 70.0

37.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 zł 33.48

$8.34 zł 32.74

2.28%

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

$458 zł 1,799

$511 zł 2,006

-10.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,863 zł 38.7K

$10.2K zł 40.1K

-3.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.9 zł 380

$73.4 zł 288

31.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.40 zł 159

$40.53 zł 159

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 zł 359

$90.7 zł 356

0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 zł 477

$98.9 zł 388

22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 zł 3,692

$599 zł 2,352

56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 zł 2,956

$472 zł 1,851

59.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 zł 5,666

$1,096 zł 4,302

31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 zł 4,524

$833 zł 3,269

38.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,535 zł 21.7K

$3,108 zł 12.2K

78.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,525 zł 13.8K

$2,352 zł 9,233

49.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,883 zł 7,391

$1,627 zł 6,389

15.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.87

-3.64%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lodz: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$753 40.8%

Lodz

$472 31.6% 37.4% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$359 19.5%

Lodz

$347 23.2% 3.5% $13

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$238 12.9%

Lodz

$222 14.9% 6.7% $16

Eating Out

Krakow

$229 12.4%

Lodz

$202 13.5% 11.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$158 8.5%

Lodz

$137 9.2% 13.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Lodz

$53 3.6% 15% $9.3

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Lodz

$61 4.1% 27.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $940 in Krakow and $599 in Lodz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 16% 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: $51 in Krakow vs $47 in Lodz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $222 per month, with Lodz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Lodz

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

711,332

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Krakow Lodz 190 km

From you

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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 Lodz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lodz wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lodz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $940 in Krakow versus $599 in Lodz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lodz – a meal for two runs $47 versus $51 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lodz is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lodz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Lodz wins on affordability, Krakow on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.