Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Lviv

For one person, living is cheaper in Lviv: $1,009 a month against $1,815 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lviv
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Lviv Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,815

/mo nomad

Lviv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Lviv

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,815 in Krakow versus $1,009 in Lviv.

Krakow $1,815
Lviv $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Krakow versus $1,537 in Lviv.

Krakow $2,587
Lviv $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,359 in Krakow versus $2,065 in Lviv.

Krakow $3,359
Lviv $2,065

Living in Krakow is roughly 80% more expensive than in Lviv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Krakow is 34% above, Lviv is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.83 zł 45.95

$6.62 ₴297

78.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 zł 196

$36.09 ₴1,620

39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.81 zł 38.12

$6.47 ₴290

51.62%

Cappuccino

$4.22 zł 16.40

$2.17 ₴97.2

94.47%

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

$2.59 zł 10.06

$1.33 ₴59.9

94.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 zł 9.12

$1.36 ₴61.2

72.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 zł 17.98

$2.51 ₴113

84.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 zł 18.32

$3.03 ₴136

55.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 zł 4.14

$1.24 ₴55.7

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 zł 5.84

$0.83 ₴37.23

80.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.83

$1.68 ₴75.5

4.76%

Eggs

$3.90 zł 15.13

$2.11 ₴94.9

84.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 zł 36.53

$8.84 ₴397

6.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 zł 30.57

$4.94 ₴222

59.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 zł 52.1

$7.55 ₴339

77.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.20

$1.32 ₴59.0

1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.56

$1.57 ₴70.4

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 zł 6.98

$1.72 ₴77.0

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 zł 11.93

$2.65 ₴119

15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.40

$0.84 ₴37.66

4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 zł 3.98

$0.58 ₴26.04

75.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$1.51 ₴67.8

-19.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.12

$0.52 ₴23.48

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 zł 24.24

$3.23 ₴145

93.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 zł 24.86

$6.76 ₴303

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$0.98 ₴44.13

23.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$1.60 ₴72.0

4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 zł 6.10

$0.57 ₴25.74

175.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.06 zł 128

$19.61 ₴880

68.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 zł 8.63

$2.96 ₴133

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$0.34 ₴15.45

197.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.48 zł 48.51

$4.29 ₴193

190.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$1.69 ₴76.0

-1.18%

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

$30.7K zł 119.3K

$29.5K ₴1.3M

4.12%

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

$28.6K zł 111.2K

$24.4K ₴1.1M

17.27%

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

$325 zł 1,261

$83.7 ₴3,755

287.96%

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

$8.70 zł 33.80

$6.01 ₴270

44.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.84 zł 69.3

$7.35 ₴330

142.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 zł 175

$31.82 ₴1,428

41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.28 zł 94.3

$14.18 ₴637

71.23%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 zł 33.29

$4.55 ₴204

88.35%

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

$463 zł 1,799

$332 ₴14.9K

39.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,760 zł 37.9K

$7,236 ₴324.8K

34.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 zł 376

$87.8 ₴3,941

10.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 zł 156

$43.50 ₴1,952

-7.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 zł 346

$97.3 ₴4,368

-8.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 zł 473

$100 ₴4,498

21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 zł 3,642

$503 ₴22.6K

86.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 zł 2,854

$385 ₴17.3K

90.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 zł 5,738

$934 ₴41.9K

58.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 zł 4,456

$627 ₴28.1K

83.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,395 zł 21.0K

$2,014 ₴90.4K

167.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,529 zł 13.7K

$1,263 ₴56.7K

179.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,894 zł 7,360

$669 ₴30.0K

183.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

13.33

-50.34%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lviv: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$735 40.5%

Lviv

$385 38.2% 47.5% $349

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$351 19.4%

Lviv

$97 9.6% 72.4% $254

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$237 13.1%

Lviv

$183 18.2% 22.5% $53

Eating Out

Krakow

$227 12.5%

Lviv

$128 12.7% 43.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$156 8.6%

Lviv

$148 14.7% 5.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Lviv

$41 4.1% 34.3% $21

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Lviv

$27 2.6% 42.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $937 in Krakow and $503 in Lviv. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 183% 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: $50.0 in Krakow vs $36.00 in Lviv for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $183 per month, with Lviv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇺🇦 Lviv

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h ahead of Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

728,350

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Krakow Lviv 290 km

From you

Krakow
Lviv

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 Lviv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lviv wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lviv the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 183% 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: $937 in Krakow versus $503 in Lviv. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lviv – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $50.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Lviv versus $1,815 in Krakow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lviv but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Lviv the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lviv delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,009 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lviv hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Lviv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.