Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lodz and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lodz: $1,492 a month against $1,846 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
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Lodz Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,492

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lodz and in Krakow

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lodz and in Krakow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,492 in Lodz versus $1,846 in Krakow.

Lodz $1,492
Krakow $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Lodz versus $2,616 in Krakow.

Lodz $2,191
Krakow $2,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,889 in Lodz versus $3,387 in Krakow.

Lodz $2,889
Krakow $3,387

Living in Lodz costs roughly 19% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lodz 10% above, Krakow 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.67 zł 37.93

$12.23 zł 47.96

-20.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.77 zł 183

$51.0 zł 200

-8.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 zł 34.50

$9.60 zł 37.65

-8.33%

Cappuccino

$3.55 zł 13.93

$4.11 zł 16.13

-13.63%

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

$2.80 zł 10.97

$2.55 zł 10.00

9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 zł 10.65

$2.43 zł 9.52

11.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 zł 18.25

$4.68 zł 18.37

-0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 zł 20.25

$4.69 zł 18.39

10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 zł 3.86

$1.06 zł 4.16

-7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 zł 4.23

$1.47 zł 5.75

-26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.27

$1.70 zł 6.67

-21.18%

Eggs

$3.47 zł 13.59

$3.82 zł 14.98

-9.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 zł 41.19

$9.50 zł 37.25

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 zł 27.14

$7.98 zł 31.28

-13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 zł 46.96

$13.53 zł 53.1

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 zł 4.50

$1.32 zł 5.17

-12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.53

$1.74 zł 6.83

-4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 zł 9.10

$1.74 zł 6.81

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 zł 11.76

$3.17 zł 12.44

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 zł 3.07

$0.94 zł 3.67

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.66

$0.99 zł 3.88

-6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 zł 5.47

$1.27 zł 4.98

10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 zł 2.35

$0.81 zł 3.18

-25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.80 zł 22.75

$6.49 zł 25.47

-10.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 zł 26.51

$6.26 zł 24.55

7.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 zł 4.53

$1.18 zł 4.64

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 zł 6.88

$1.74 zł 6.83

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 zł 4.31

$1.52 zł 5.94

-27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.1 zł 204

$33.87 zł 133

53.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 zł 6.06

$2.35 zł 9.20

-34.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 zł 2.11

$1.04 zł 4.08

-48.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 zł 36.67

$12.50 zł 49.03

-25.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 zł 6.31

$1.76 zł 6.91

-8.52%

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

$30.4K zł 119.1K

$30.6K zł 119.9K

-0.71%

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

$28.3K zł 110.9K

$29.1K zł 114.2K

-2.89%

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

$321 zł 1,258

$333 zł 1,306

-3.69%

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

$8.43 zł 33.05

$8.93 zł 35.02

-5.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.64 zł 69.2

$17.43 zł 68.4

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 zł 143

$45.29 zł 178

-19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.84 zł 70.0

$24.55 zł 96.3

-27.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 zł 32.70

$8.53 zł 33.44

-2.23%

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

$511 zł 2,004

$458 zł 1,797

11.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K zł 40.0K

$9,863 zł 38.7K

3.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 zł 288

$96.9 zł 380

-24.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 zł 159

$40.40 zł 158

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 zł 356

$91.5 zł 359

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 zł 388

$122 zł 477

-18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 zł 2,349

$940 zł 3,688

-36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 zł 1,849

$753 zł 2,952

-37.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 zł 4,297

$1,443 zł 5,660

-24.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 zł 3,265

$1,152 zł 4,519

-27.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,108 zł 12.2K

$5,535 zł 21.7K

-43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,352 zł 9,223

$3,525 zł 13.8K

-33.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,627 zł 6,382

$1,883 zł 7,383

-13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

6.62

3.78%

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

Last update for Lodz: October 20, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lodz

$472 31.6%

Krakow

$753 40.8% 59.7% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lodz

$347 23.2%

Krakow

$359 19.5% 3.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Lodz

$222 14.9%

Krakow

$238 12.9% 7.2% $16

Eating Out

Lodz

$202 13.5%

Krakow

$229 12.4% 13.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lodz

$137 9.2%

Krakow

$158 8.5% 15.4% $21

Getting Around

Lodz

$61 4.1%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 21.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lodz

$53 3.6%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 17.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Lodz and $940 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 16% 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: $47 in Lodz vs $51 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $238 per month, with Lodz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Lodz

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

Same time as Lodz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

711,332

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Lodz Krakow 190 km

From you

Lodz
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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

Lodz vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lodz wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lodz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Lodz. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $599 in Lodz versus $940 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lodz – a meal for two runs $47 versus $51 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lodz 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, Lodz and Krakow 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 – Lodz wins on affordability, Krakow on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.