Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swidnica and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Swidnica: $1,219 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Swidnica
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Swidnica Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Swidnica

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,219

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Swidnica versus $1,806 in Krakow.

Swidnica $1,219
Krakow $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Swidnica versus $2,604 in Krakow.

Swidnica $1,890
Krakow $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,562 in Swidnica versus $3,403 in Krakow.

Swidnica $2,562
Krakow $3,403

Living in Swidnica costs roughly 32% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Swidnica is 10% below, Krakow is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 zł 30.99

$12.05 zł 47.69

-35.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.29 zł 100

$50.8 zł 201

-50.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 zł 27.85

$9.37 zł 37.09

-24.87%

Cappuccino

$3.02 zł 11.96

$4.08 zł 16.15

-25.98%

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

$2.13 zł 8.44

$2.45 zł 9.69

-13.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 zł 7.47

$2.33 zł 9.22

-18.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 zł 9.94

$4.45 zł 17.63

-43.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 zł 19.89

$4.63 zł 18.31

8.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.13

$1.11 zł 4.39

-6.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 zł 6.00

$1.45 zł 5.73

4.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 zł 5.92

$1.74 zł 6.90

-13.79%

Eggs

$3.95 zł 15.63

$3.82 zł 15.12

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 zł 36.72

$9.24 zł 36.58

0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 zł 26.26

$7.79 zł 30.83

-14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 zł 46.95

$13.17 zł 52.1

-9.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 zł 5.15

$1.28 zł 5.05

1.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 zł 6.20

$1.74 zł 6.90

-9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.63

$1.77 zł 7.01

-5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 zł 13.63

$3.10 zł 12.26

10.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.68

$0.88 zł 3.48

5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.11

$0.97 zł 3.84

-18.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 zł 5.75

$1.25 zł 4.95

16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 zł 2.82

$0.78 zł 3.08

-8.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 zł 23.91

$6.28 zł 24.84

-3.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 zł 29.96

$6.47 zł 25.61

17.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 zł 4.72

$1.18 zł 4.66

0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 zł 7.30

$1.65 zł 6.53

11.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 zł 4.30

$1.48 zł 5.87

-26.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.32 zł 112

$34.13 zł 135

-17.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 zł 10.22

$2.25 zł 8.92

14.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.92

$1.04 zł 4.13

-4.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.23 zł 40.47

$12.35 zł 48.87

-17.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.56

$1.66 zł 6.58

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

$29.9K zł 118.2K

$29.8K zł 117.8K

0.37%

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

$29.0K zł 114.7K

$29.2K zł 115.5K

-0.65%

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

$199 zł 788

$332 zł 1,314

-40.03%

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

$9.55 zł 37.79

$8.48 zł 33.54

12.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.49 zł 49.41

$17.59 zł 69.6

-28.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.52 zł 148

$44.76 zł 177

-16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.93 zł 86.8

$24.52 zł 97.1

-10.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 zł 27.60

$8.67 zł 34.31

-19.49%

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

$475 zł 1,879

$449 zł 1,779

5.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K zł 46.7K

$9,675 zł 38.3K

21.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 zł 365

$95.0 zł 376

-2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.47 zł 152

$40.05 zł 158

-3.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 zł 367

$89.4 zł 354

3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 zł 423

$121 zł 478

-11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 zł 2,334

$909 zł 3,595

-35.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 zł 1,470

$724 zł 2,864

-48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 zł 3,855

$1,490 zł 5,897

-34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 zł 3,252

$1,193 zł 4,721

-31.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 zł 11.6K

$5,323 zł 21.1K

-44.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 zł 8,817

$3,604 zł 14.3K

-38.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,020 zł 4,038

$1,867 zł 7,388

-45.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.74%

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

Last update for Swidnica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swidnica

$371 30.5%

Krakow

$724 40.1% 94.9% $352

Groceries & Markets

Swidnica

$227 18.7%

Krakow

$235 13% 3.2% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swidnica

$221 18.2%

Krakow

$358 19.8% 61.9% $137

Eating Out

Swidnica

$159 13%

Krakow

$224 12.4% 41.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Swidnica

$149 12.2%

Krakow

$155 8.6% 4.5% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Swidnica

$51 4.2%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 20.7% $11

Getting Around

Swidnica

$40 3.3%

Krakow

$48 2.6% 18.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $590 in Swidnica and $909 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Swidnica vs $51 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $235 per month, with Swidnica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Swidnica

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

Same time as Swidnica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,800

806,201

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Swidnica Krakow 260 km

From you

Swidnica
Krakow

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

Swidnica vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swidnica wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Swidnica the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Swidnica. 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: $590 in Swidnica versus $909 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Swidnica – a meal for two runs $25 versus $51 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Swidnica gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Swidnica and Krakow are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Swidnica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.