Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lublin and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lublin: $1,455 a month against $1,815 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Lublin
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Lublin Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more

Krakow Living Index

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Lublin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,455

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lublin 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 Lublin and in Krakow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,455 in Lublin versus $1,815 in Krakow.

Lublin $1,455
Krakow $1,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,042 in Lublin versus $2,587 in Krakow.

Lublin $2,042
Krakow $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,629 in Lublin versus $3,359 in Krakow.

Lublin $2,629
Krakow $3,359

Living in Lublin costs roughly 20% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lublin 8% above, Krakow 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 zł 33.78

$11.83 zł 45.95

-26.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.28 zł 149

$50.5 zł 196

-24.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 zł 29.34

$9.81 zł 38.12

-23.04%

Cappuccino

$2.93 zł 11.37

$4.22 zł 16.40

-30.57%

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

$1.99 zł 7.75

$2.59 zł 10.06

-23.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 zł 5.78

$2.35 zł 9.12

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 zł 10.57

$4.63 zł 17.98

-41.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 zł 12.42

$4.72 zł 18.32

-32.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 zł 4.00

$1.07 zł 4.14

-3.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 zł 4.89

$1.50 zł 5.84

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 zł 6.17

$1.76 zł 6.83

-9.66%

Eggs

$3.32 zł 12.88

$3.90 zł 15.13

-14.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 zł 33.97

$9.40 zł 36.53

-7.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 zł 24.50

$7.87 zł 30.57

-19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 zł 44.17

$13.41 zł 52.1

-15.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.64

$1.34 zł 5.20

-11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 zł 6.87

$1.69 zł 6.56

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.69

$1.80 zł 6.98

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 zł 10.03

$3.07 zł 11.93

-15.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.36

$0.88 zł 3.40

-2.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 zł 4.10

$1.02 zł 3.98

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 zł 5.31

$1.21 zł 4.70

13.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 zł 2.84

$0.80 zł 3.12

-8.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 zł 22.30

$6.24 zł 24.24

-8.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 zł 24.97

$6.40 zł 24.86

0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 zł 4.27

$1.21 zł 4.70

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 zł 6.50

$1.67 zł 6.49

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 zł 3.64

$1.57 zł 6.10

-40.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.85 zł 120

$33.06 zł 128

-6.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 zł 8.12

$2.22 zł 8.63

-5.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 zł 3.01

$1.01 zł 3.91

-23.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 zł 39.42

$12.48 zł 48.51

-18.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.67 zł 6.49

-0.60%

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

$30.3K zł 117.7K

$30.7K zł 119.3K

-1.36%

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

$26.7K zł 103.6K

$28.6K zł 111.2K

-6.83%

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

$292 zł 1,136

$325 zł 1,261

-9.88%

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

$9.60 zł 37.28

$8.70 zł 33.80

10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 zł 69.4

$17.84 zł 69.3

0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.76 zł 123

$45.16 zł 175

-29.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.34 zł 90.7

$24.28 zł 94.3

-3.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 zł 30.70

$8.57 zł 33.29

-7.82%

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

$516 zł 2,005

$463 zł 1,799

11.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,112 zł 19.9K

$9,760 zł 37.9K

-47.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 zł 323

$96.7 zł 376

-14.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.81 zł 159

$40.10 zł 156

1.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 zł 340

$89.1 zł 346

-1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 zł 394

$122 zł 473

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 zł 2,685

$937 zł 3,642

-26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 zł 2,074

$735 zł 2,854

-27.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 zł 3,175

$1,477 zł 5,738

-44.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 zł 3,022

$1,147 zł 4,456

-32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,621 zł 14.1K

$5,395 zł 21.0K

-32.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 zł 8,961

$3,529 zł 13.7K

-34.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,504 zł 5,843

$1,894 zł 7,360

-20.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.02

6.62

6.04%

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

Last update for Lublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lublin

$534 36.7%

Krakow

$735 40.5% 37.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lublin

$320 22%

Krakow

$351 19.4% 9.7% $31

Groceries & Markets

Lublin

$211 14.5%

Krakow

$237 13.1% 12% $25

Eating Out

Lublin

$161 11.1%

Krakow

$227 12.5% 40.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lublin

$141 9.7%

Krakow

$156 8.6% 11.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lublin

$48 3.3%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 30.9% $15

Getting Around

Lublin

$41 2.8%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 14.9% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Lublin and $937 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 26% 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: $38.00 in Lublin vs $50.0 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $237 per month, with Lublin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Lublin

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

Same time as Lublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,788

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lublin Krakow 220 km

From you

Lublin
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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

Lublin vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Krakow. 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: $691 in Lublin versus $937 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lublin – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $50.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,455 in Lublin versus $1,815 in Krakow, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lublin but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Lublin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lublin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,455 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lublin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lublin 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.

Expats usually find Lublin 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.