Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Zawiercie

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiercie: $1,345 a month against $1,784 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Zawiercie
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Zawiercie Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,784

/mo nomad

Zawiercie

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,345

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krakow and in Zawiercie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Krakow versus $1,345 in Zawiercie.

Krakow $1,784
Zawiercie $1,345

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,566 in Krakow versus $1,901 in Zawiercie.

Krakow $2,566
Zawiercie $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,348 in Krakow versus $2,456 in Zawiercie.

Krakow $3,348
Zawiercie $2,456

Living in Krakow is roughly 33% more expensive than in Zawiercie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.50 zł 44.93

$6.46 zł 25.24

78.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 zł 196

$33.76 zł 132

48.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 zł 36.20

$8.09 zł 31.63

14.46%

Cappuccino

$4.21 zł 16.44

$1.98 zł 7.72

112.63%

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

$2.36 zł 9.23

$1.29 zł 5.06

82.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 zł 9.14

$0.60 zł 2.36

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 zł 17.90

$2.86 zł 11.18

60.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 zł 17.62

$3.37 zł 13.18

33.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 zł 3.99

$0.96 zł 3.75

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 zł 5.58

$1.04 zł 4.08

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 zł 6.26

$1.41 zł 5.52

13.48%

Eggs

$3.88 zł 15.15

$2.63 zł 10.27

47.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 zł 36.37

$7.71 zł 30.15

20.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 zł 30.48

$5.56 zł 21.74

40.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 zł 52.5

$11.84 zł 46.27

13.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 zł 5.10

$0.87 zł 3.41

50.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.71

$1.45 zł 5.67

18.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 zł 7.03

$1.46 zł 5.69

23.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 zł 12.15

$2.62 zł 10.23

18.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.78

$0.78 zł 3.04

24.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.85

$0.79 zł 3.07

24.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 zł 5.01

$1.24 zł 4.86

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.05

$0.52 zł 2.05

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 zł 24.00

$4.71 zł 18.39

30.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 zł 24.86

$6.36 zł 24.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 zł 4.83

$0.99 zł 3.88

25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 zł 6.30

$1.63 zł 6.37

-1.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 zł 5.84

$1.08 zł 4.23

37.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.51 zł 127

$29.45 zł 115

10.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.79

$1.76 zł 6.87

27.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 zł 3.83

$0.74 zł 2.90

32.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 zł 49.70

$10.70 zł 41.83

18.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 zł 6.80

$1.69 zł 6.62

2.96%

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

$29.9K zł 116.7K

$30.0K zł 117.1K

-0.36%

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

$28.2K zł 110.0K

$27.4K zł 107.0K

2.79%

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

$319 zł 1,247

$272 zł 1,064

17.22%

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

$8.85 zł 34.59

$7.74 zł 30.24

14.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.45 zł 68.2

$10.04 zł 39.23

73.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.45 zł 170

$38.01 zł 149

14.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 zł 95.3

$21.98 zł 85.9

10.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 zł 32.79

$4.93 zł 19.27

70.18%

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

$436 zł 1,704

$572 zł 2,235

-23.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K zł 49.2K

$12.0K zł 47.0K

4.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.9 zł 379

$68.8 zł 269

40.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 zł 160

$31.79 zł 124

28.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 349

$90.2 zł 352

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 zł 459

$90.7 zł 355

29.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 zł 3,589

$588 zł 2,296

56.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 zł 2,822

$522 zł 2,040

38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 zł 5,916

$955 zł 3,732

58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 zł 4,569

$811 zł 3,169

44.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 zł 21.2K

$2,964 zł 11.6K

82.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,560 zł 13.9K

$2,192 zł 8,565

62.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,888 zł 7,376

$885 zł 3,460

113.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

7.19

-8.34%

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

Last update for Krakow: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zawiercie: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$722 40.5%

Zawiercie

$522 38.8% 27.7% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$345 19.4%

Zawiercie

$290 21.6% 16% $55

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13.2%

Zawiercie

$191 14.2% 18.7% $44

Eating Out

Krakow

$221 12.4%

Zawiercie

$128 9.5% 41.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.7%

Zawiercie

$127 9.4% 18.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$60 3.4%

Zawiercie

$48 3.6% 20.5% $12

Getting Around

Krakow

$46 2.6%

Zawiercie

$39 2.9% 14% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $918 in Krakow and $588 in Zawiercie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Krakow vs $34 in Zawiercie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $191 per month, with Zawiercie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇱 Zawiercie

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

48,412

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Krakow Zawiercie 59 km

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Krakow
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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 Zawiercie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zawiercie wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zawiercie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Krakow is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $918 in Krakow versus $588 in Zawiercie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zawiercie – a meal for two runs $34 versus $50 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zawiercie 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 Zawiercie are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zawiercie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.