Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Olsztyn: $1,690 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Olsztyn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Krakow versus $1,690 in Olsztyn.

Krakow $1,806
Olsztyn $1,690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Krakow versus $2,444 in Olsztyn.

Krakow $2,604
Olsztyn $2,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Krakow versus $3,199 in Olsztyn.

Krakow $3,403
Olsztyn $3,199

Living in Krakow is roughly 7% more expensive than in Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 33% above, Olsztyn 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 zł 47.69

$12.81 zł 50.7

-5.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 201

$50.3 zł 199

0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 zł 37.09

$9.13 zł 36.15

2.63%

Cappuccino

$4.08 zł 16.15

$3.45 zł 13.64

18.26%

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

$2.45 zł 9.69

$2.41 zł 9.53

1.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 zł 9.22

$1.88 zł 7.42

23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.63

$3.01 zł 11.90

47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 zł 18.31

$3.90 zł 15.42

18.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 zł 4.39

$1.02 zł 4.04

8.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 zł 5.73

$1.31 zł 5.20

10.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$1.42 zł 5.62

22.54%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.12

$3.88 zł 15.37

-1.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 zł 36.58

$9.58 zł 37.90

-3.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.83

$7.22 zł 28.55

7.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 zł 52.1

$14.69 zł 58.2

-10.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 zł 5.05

$1.18 zł 4.69

8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$1.60 zł 6.33

8.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 zł 7.01

$1.86 zł 7.37

-4.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.26

$3.50 zł 13.86

-11.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.48

$0.93 zł 3.70

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.84

$1.17 zł 4.63

-17.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 zł 4.95

$1.34 zł 5.31

-6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.08

$0.72 zł 2.85

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 zł 24.84

$5.59 zł 22.13

12.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 zł 25.61

$7.56 zł 29.91

-14.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.66

$1.12 zł 4.44

5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.53

$1.49 zł 5.90

10.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 zł 5.87

$1.00 zł 3.95

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 zł 135

$25.14 zł 99.5

35.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.92

$2.09 zł 8.25

7.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.13

$0.73 zł 2.87

42.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 zł 48.87

$10.32 zł 40.84

19.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.58

$1.57 zł 6.23

5.73%

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

$29.8K zł 117.8K

$30.6K zł 121.0K

-2.65%

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

$29.2K zł 115.5K

$29.5K zł 116.7K

-1.10%

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

$332 zł 1,314

$330 zł 1,307

0.52%

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

$8.48 zł 33.54

$9.68 zł 38.29

-12.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.59 zł 69.6

$19.33 zł 76.5

-9.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 zł 177

$44.06 zł 174

1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 zł 97.1

$22.35 zł 88.4

9.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 zł 34.31

$8.95 zł 35.43

-3.13%

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

$449 zł 1,779

$383 zł 1,517

17.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,675 zł 38.3K

$13.9K zł 55.0K

-30.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 zł 376

$99.4 zł 393

-4.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 zł 158

$48.99 zł 194

-18.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 354

$102 zł 404

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 478

$102 zł 406

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 zł 3,595

$806 zł 3,188

12.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 zł 2,864

$627 zł 2,481

15.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 zł 5,897

$1,290 zł 5,103

15.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 zł 4,721

$1,024 zł 4,053

16.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,323 zł 21.1K

$3,592 zł 14.2K

48.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,604 zł 14.3K

$2,440 zł 9,657

47.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 zł 7,388

$1,395 zł 5,522

33.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

7.52

-11.97%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$724 40.1%

Olsztyn

$627 37.1% 13.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$358 19.8%

Olsztyn

$359 21.3% 0.3% $1.2

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Olsztyn

$237 14% 1% $2.3

Eating Out

Krakow

$224 12.4%

Olsztyn

$211 12.5% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.6%

Olsztyn

$159 9.4% 2.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Olsztyn

$62 3.7% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Krakow

$48 2.6%

Olsztyn

$35 2.1% 26.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $909 in Krakow and $806 in Olsztyn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $51 in Krakow vs $50 in Olsztyn. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $237, with Krakow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

174,675

💱 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 Olsztyn 410 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 Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olsztyn wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Olsztyn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% 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 $806 in Olsztyn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,806 per month in Krakow versus $1,690 in Olsztyn – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Olsztyn runs roughly 26% less than in Krakow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Olsztyn 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, Krakow and Olsztyn 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 – Olsztyn wins on affordability, Krakow on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.