Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poland and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Poland: $1,547 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Italy despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Poland
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Poland Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

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🇵🇱 Poland

$1,547

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Poland and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,547 in Poland versus $1,825 in Italy.

Poland $1,547
Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,218 in Poland versus $2,790 in Italy.

Poland $2,218
Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,889 in Poland versus $3,756 in Italy.

Poland $2,889
Italy $3,756

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $1,127–$2,051 in Poland. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Poland costs about 15% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Poland 14% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.33 zł 40.15

$19.90 €17.70

-48.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.22 zł 187

$77.1 €68.6

-37.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 zł 34.97

$11.41 €10.15

-21.12%

Cappuccino

$3.71 zł 14.41

$2.01 €1.78

84.58%

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

$2.08 zł 8.10

$3.13 €2.78

-33.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 zł 7.14

$1.40 €1.24

31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 zł 14.52

$5.76 €5.12

-35.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 zł 16.16

$5.73 €5.10

-27.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 zł 4.01

$1.62 €1.44

-36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 zł 5.22

$2.38 €2.12

-43.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 zł 5.54

$2.92 €2.60

-51.03%

Eggs

$3.41 zł 13.25

$4.17 €3.70

-18.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 zł 32.99

$17.28 €15.37

-50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 zł 25.91

$12.73 €11.32

-47.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 zł 47.75

$20.39 €18.13

-39.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$2.61 €2.32

-55.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$2.12 €1.88

-20.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.84

$2.63 €2.34

-33.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 zł 11.27

$3.34 €2.97

-13.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 zł 3.49

$2.02 €1.79

-55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$1.89 €1.69

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 zł 5.12

$1.56 €1.39

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 zł 2.45

$0.55 €0.49

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 zł 22.07

$6.84 €6.08

-16.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 zł 26.45

$7.64 €6.80

-10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 zł 4.43

$1.80 €1.61

-36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.09

$2.40 €2.14

-34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 zł 4.50

$1.86 €1.65

-37.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.96 zł 116

$43.27 €38.49

-30.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.87

$5.64 €5.01

-59.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 zł 3.96

$1.71 €1.52

-40.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.06 zł 50.8

$33.04 €29.39

-60.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.33

$2.11 €1.87

-22.75%

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

$30.6K zł 119.0K

$35.8K €31.8K

-14.35%

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

$28.4K zł 110.5K

$37.4K €33.3K

-23.91%

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

$293 zł 1,138

$230 €204

27.55%

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

$9.32 zł 36.19

$11.60 €10.32

-19.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.23 zł 66.9

$30.40 €27.04

-43.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.55 zł 150

$53.9 €47.96

-28.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.96 zł 101

$24.24 €21.56

7.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 zł 29.17

$10.58 €9.41

-29.02%

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

$426 zł 1,654

$545 €485

-21.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,913 zł 34.6K

$11.5K €10.3K

-22.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 zł 320

$88.4 €78.7

-6.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.26 zł 149

$39.60 €35.22

-3.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 zł 348

$101 €89.8

-11.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 zł 385

$133 €118

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 zł 2,752

$799 €711

-11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 zł 2,252

$624 €555

-7.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 zł 4,493

$1,423 €1,266

-18.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 zł 3,466

$1,030 €916

-13.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,641 zł 14.1K

$3,601 €3,203

1.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,529 zł 9,825

$2,270 €2,019

11.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 zł 6,352

$1,893 €1,684

-13.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.56

91.01%

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

Last update for Poland: October 17, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Poland

$580 37.5%

Italy

$624 34.2% 7.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poland

$320 20.7%

Italy

$272 14.9% 15% $48

Groceries & Markets

Poland

$216 14%

Italy

$350 19.2% 61.7% $134

Eating Out

Poland

$197 12.7%

Italy

$276 15.1% 40.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Poland

$139 9%

Italy

$163 8.9% 17.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Poland

$54 3.5%

Italy

$75 4.1% 40.2% $22

Getting Around

Poland

$42 2.7%

Italy

$65 3.6% 54.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $619 in Poland, $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,173 in Warsaw vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,348 in Poland, $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 17% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 37% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 40% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Poland

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Poland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,382,576

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Poland Italy 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Poland
Italy

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

Poland vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,547 in Poland, there's a 18% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Poland: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy and $619 in Poland. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Poland, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Poland wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.