Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Szczecin

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,397 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
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Szczecin Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Szczecin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Krakow versus $1,397 in Szczecin.

Krakow $1,806
Szczecin $1,397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Krakow versus $2,080 in Szczecin.

Krakow $2,604
Szczecin $2,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Krakow versus $2,763 in Szczecin.

Krakow $3,403
Szczecin $2,763

Living in Krakow is roughly 29% more expensive than in Szczecin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 33% above, Szczecin 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 zł 47.52

$9.13 zł 35.99

31.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 200

$46.47 zł 183

9.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 zł 36.96

$8.52 zł 33.59

9.98%

Cappuccino

$4.08 zł 16.10

$2.85 zł 11.23

43.16%

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

$2.45 zł 9.65

$1.85 zł 7.30

32.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 zł 9.19

$1.40 zł 5.53

66.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.57

$3.01 zł 11.87

47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 zł 18.25

$3.01 zł 11.89

53.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 zł 4.37

$0.87 zł 3.42

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 zł 5.71

$1.29 zł 5.10

12.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.87

$1.05 zł 4.14

65.71%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.07

$3.21 zł 12.65

19.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 zł 36.45

$9.15 zł 36.08

0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.72

$6.37 zł 25.10

22.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 zł 51.9

$12.80 zł 50.5

2.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 zł 5.03

$0.96 zł 3.78

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.88

$1.62 zł 6.40

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 zł 6.98

$1.58 zł 6.23

12.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.22

$2.30 zł 9.08

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.47

$0.86 zł 3.38

2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.83

$1.03 zł 4.08

-5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 zł 4.93

$1.11 zł 4.37

12.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.07

$0.56 zł 2.20

39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 zł 24.75

$5.18 zł 20.43

21.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 zł 25.52

$6.32 zł 24.92

2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.64

$1.07 zł 4.24

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.50

$1.46 zł 5.74

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 zł 5.85

$0.73 zł 2.88

102.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 zł 135

$24.87 zł 98.1

37.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.89

$2.01 zł 7.94

11.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.12

$0.92 zł 3.63

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 zł 48.70

$12.66 zł 49.91

-2.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.56

$1.65 zł 6.52

0.61%

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

$29.8K zł 117.3K

$30.6K zł 120.7K

-2.78%

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

$29.2K zł 115.0K

$28.6K zł 112.8K

2.01%

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

$332 zł 1,310

$237 zł 934

40.19%

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

$8.48 zł 33.43

$11.99 zł 47.29

-29.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.59 zł 69.4

$18.74 zł 73.9

-6.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 zł 177

$34.52 zł 136

29.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 zł 96.7

$49.10 zł 194

-50.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 zł 34.19

$7.50 zł 29.56

15.60%

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

$449 zł 1,772

$359 zł 1,417

25.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,675 zł 38.2K

$7,743 zł 30.5K

24.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 zł 375

$67.8 zł 267

40.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 zł 158

$34.22 zł 135

17.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 352

$78.4 zł 309

14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 477

$91.4 zł 360

32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 zł 3,583

$659 zł 2,600

37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 zł 2,854

$551 zł 2,174

31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 zł 5,876

$1,247 zł 4,919

19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 zł 4,705

$945 zł 3,727

26.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,323 zł 21.0K

$3,380 zł 13.3K

57.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,604 zł 14.2K

$2,491 zł 9,823

44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 zł 7,362

$1,570 zł 6,190

18.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.82

-2.93%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Last update for Szczecin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$724 40.1%

Szczecin

$551 39.5% 23.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$358 19.8%

Szczecin

$268 19.2% 25.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Szczecin

$205 14.7% 12.4% $29

Eating Out

Krakow

$224 12.4%

Szczecin

$167 11.9% 25.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.6%

Szczecin

$122 8.8% 21.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Szczecin

$50 3.5% 20.3% $13

Getting Around

Krakow

$48 2.6%

Szczecin

$34 2.5% 27.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $909 in Krakow and $659 in Szczecin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 19% 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 $46 in Szczecin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $205 per month, with Szczecin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

387,700

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.226 EUR

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.226 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Krakow Szczecin 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
Szczecin

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 Szczecin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szczecin wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Szczecin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $659 in Szczecin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Szczecin – a meal for two runs $46 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 Szczecin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Szczecin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.