Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Swidnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Swidnica: $1,219 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Swidnica
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Swidnica Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Swidnica

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Swidnica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Krakow versus $1,219 in Swidnica.

Krakow $1,806
Swidnica $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Krakow versus $1,890 in Swidnica.

Krakow $2,604
Swidnica $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Krakow versus $2,562 in Swidnica.

Krakow $3,403
Swidnica $2,562

Living in Krakow is roughly 48% more expensive than in Swidnica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Krakow is 33% above, Swidnica is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 zł 47.69

$7.83 zł 30.99

53.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 201

$25.29 zł 100

100.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 zł 37.09

$7.04 zł 27.85

33.10%

Cappuccino

$4.08 zł 16.15

$3.02 zł 11.96

35.10%

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

$2.45 zł 9.69

$2.13 zł 8.44

15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 zł 9.22

$1.89 zł 7.47

23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.63

$2.51 zł 9.94

77.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 zł 18.31

$5.03 zł 19.89

-7.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 zł 4.39

$1.04 zł 4.13

6.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 zł 5.73

$1.51 zł 6.00

-3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$1.50 zł 5.92

16.00%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.12

$3.95 zł 15.63

-3.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 zł 36.58

$9.28 zł 36.72

-0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.83

$6.64 zł 26.26

17.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 zł 52.1

$11.86 zł 46.95

11.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 zł 5.05

$1.30 zł 5.15

-1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$1.57 zł 6.20

10.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 zł 7.01

$1.68 zł 6.63

5.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.26

$3.44 zł 13.63

-9.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.48

$0.93 zł 3.68

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.84

$0.79 zł 3.11

22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 zł 4.95

$1.45 zł 5.75

-13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.08

$0.71 zł 2.82

9.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 zł 24.84

$6.04 zł 23.91

3.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 zł 25.61

$7.57 zł 29.96

-14.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.66

$1.19 zł 4.72

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.53

$1.84 zł 7.30

-10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 zł 5.87

$1.09 zł 4.30

35.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 zł 135

$28.32 zł 112

20.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.92

$2.58 zł 10.22

-12.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.13

$0.99 zł 3.92

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 zł 48.87

$10.23 zł 40.47

20.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.58

$1.66 zł 6.56

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

$29.8K zł 117.8K

$29.9K zł 118.2K

-0.37%

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

$29.2K zł 115.5K

$29.0K zł 114.7K

0.65%

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

$332 zł 1,314

$199 zł 788

66.74%

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

$8.48 zł 33.54

$9.55 zł 37.79

-11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.59 zł 69.6

$12.49 zł 49.41

40.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 zł 177

$37.52 zł 148

19.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 zł 97.1

$21.93 zł 86.8

11.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 zł 34.31

$6.98 zł 27.60

24.21%

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

$449 zł 1,779

$475 zł 1,879

-5.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,675 zł 38.3K

$11.8K zł 46.7K

-17.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 zł 376

$92.3 zł 365

2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 zł 158

$38.47 zł 152

4.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 354

$92.7 zł 367

-3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 478

$107 zł 423

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 zł 3,595

$590 zł 2,334

54.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 zł 2,864

$371 zł 1,470

94.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 zł 5,897

$974 zł 3,855

52.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 zł 4,721

$822 zł 3,252

45.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,323 zł 21.1K

$2,938 zł 11.6K

81.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,604 zł 14.3K

$2,228 zł 8,817

61.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 zł 7,388

$1,020 zł 4,038

82.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

-5.43%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Last update for Swidnica: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$724 40.1%

Swidnica

$371 30.5% 48.7% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$358 19.8%

Swidnica

$221 18.2% 38.2% $137

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Swidnica

$227 18.7% 3.1% $7.2

Eating Out

Krakow

$224 12.4%

Swidnica

$159 13% 29.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.6%

Swidnica

$149 12.2% 4.3% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Swidnica

$51 4.2% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Krakow

$48 2.6%

Swidnica

$40 3.3% 15.4% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $909 in Krakow and $590 in Swidnica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $51 in Krakow vs $25 in Swidnica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $227 per month, with Swidnica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Swidnica

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

55,800

💱 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 Swidnica 260 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 Swidnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swidnica wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Swidnica the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% 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 $590 in Swidnica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Swidnica – a meal for two runs $25 versus $51 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Swidnica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.