Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarnow and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarnow: $1,182 a month against $1,846 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Tarnow
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Tarnow Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index

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Tarnow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,182

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Tarnow versus $1,846 in Krakow.

Tarnow $1,182
Krakow $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,638 in Tarnow versus $2,616 in Krakow.

Tarnow $1,638
Krakow $2,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,093 in Tarnow versus $3,387 in Krakow.

Tarnow $2,093
Krakow $3,387

Living in Tarnow costs roughly 36% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tarnow is 13% below, Krakow is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.34 zł 40.16

$12.23 zł 47.52

-15.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.16 zł 97.8

$51.0 zł 198

-50.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 zł 24.96

$9.60 zł 37.30

-33.02%

Cappuccino

$2.55 zł 9.91

$4.11 zł 15.98

-37.96%

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

$2.21 zł 8.57

$2.55 zł 9.91

-13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 zł 5.03

$2.43 zł 9.43

-46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 zł 14.73

$4.68 zł 18.20

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 zł 14.54

$4.69 zł 18.22

-20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 zł 3.60

$1.06 zł 4.12

-12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 zł 4.45

$1.47 zł 5.70

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 zł 4.87

$1.70 zł 6.61

-26.47%

Eggs

$2.44 zł 9.48

$3.82 zł 14.84

-36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 zł 30.55

$9.50 zł 36.90

-17.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.84 zł 22.70

$7.98 zł 30.99

-26.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 zł 37.98

$13.53 zł 52.6

-27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$0.73 zł 2.84

$1.32 zł 5.13

-44.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 zł 6.04

$1.74 zł 6.76

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 zł 5.01

$1.74 zł 6.75

-25.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 zł 7.42

$3.17 zł 12.32

-39.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.06

$0.94 zł 3.63

-15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 zł 3.96

$0.99 zł 3.84

3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 zł 4.12

$1.27 zł 4.93

-16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 zł 2.91

$0.81 zł 3.15

-7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 zł 16.75

$6.49 zł 25.23

-33.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.28 zł 24.41

$6.26 zł 24.33

0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 zł 3.50

$1.18 zł 4.60

-23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 zł 5.26

$1.74 zł 6.77

-22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 zł 3.76

$1.52 zł 5.89

-36.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.58 zł 119

$33.87 zł 132

-9.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 zł 5.06

$2.35 zł 9.12

-44.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 zł 2.92

$1.04 zł 4.04

-27.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.45 zł 40.59

$12.50 zł 48.57

-16.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.31

$1.76 zł 6.85

-7.95%

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

$31.2K zł 121.2K

$30.6K zł 118.8K

2.04%

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

$24.6K zł 95.8K

$29.1K zł 113.1K

-15.33%

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

$242 zł 940

$333 zł 1,294

-27.34%

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

$9.49 zł 36.86

$8.93 zł 34.69

6.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.41 zł 63.8

$17.43 zł 67.7

-5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.48 zł 99.0

$45.29 zł 176

-43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 zł 45.27

$24.55 zł 95.4

-52.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 zł 17.55

$8.53 zł 33.13

-47.01%

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

$287 zł 1,117

$458 zł 1,780

-37.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,538 zł 9,859

$9,863 zł 38.3K

-74.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 zł 309

$96.9 zł 376

-17.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.87 zł 101

$40.40 zł 157

-35.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 zł 301

$91.5 zł 356

-15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 zł 430

$122 zł 472

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 zł 1,700

$940 zł 3,653

-53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 zł 1,369

$753 zł 2,925

-53.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 zł 2,423

$1,443 zł 5,607

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 zł 1,799

$1,152 zł 4,477

-59.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,657 zł 10.3K

$5,535 zł 21.5K

-52.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,750 zł 6,799

$3,525 zł 13.7K

-50.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,000 zł 3,884

$1,883 zł 7,314

-46.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.62

0.91%

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

Last update for Tarnow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tarnow

$352 29.8%

Krakow

$753 40.8% 114% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarnow

$268 22.7%

Krakow

$359 19.5% 34.2% $91

Groceries & Markets

Tarnow

$183 15.5%

Krakow

$238 12.9% 30.1% $55

Eating Out

Tarnow

$173 14.6%

Krakow

$229 12.4% 32.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Tarnow

$132 11.2%

Krakow

$158 8.5% 19.4% $26

Getting Around

Tarnow

$40 3.3%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 20.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Tarnow

$35 2.9%

Krakow

$62 3.4% 80.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Tarnow and $940 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 88% 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: $25.00 in Tarnow vs $51.0 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $238 per month, with Tarnow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Tarnow

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

Same time as Tarnow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,748

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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Tarnow Krakow 75 km

From you

Tarnow
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

Tarnow vs Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarnow wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tarnow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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: $437 in Tarnow versus $940 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Krakow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tarnow – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $51.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,182 in Tarnow versus $1,846 in Krakow, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tarnow but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Tarnow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tarnow delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,182 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tarnow hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tarnow 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 Tarnow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.