Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Warsaw and Lodz

For one person, living is cheaper in Lodz: $1,492 a month against $2,051 in Warsaw, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
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Warsaw Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
Learn more

Lodz Living Index

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Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,051

/mo nomad

Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Warsaw and in Lodz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,051 in Warsaw versus $1,492 in Lodz.

Warsaw $2,051
Lodz $1,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,950 in Warsaw versus $2,191 in Lodz.

Warsaw $2,950
Lodz $2,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,850 in Warsaw versus $2,889 in Lodz.

Warsaw $3,850
Lodz $2,889

Living in Warsaw is roughly 37% more expensive than in Lodz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Warsaw 51% above, Lodz 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.43 zł 44.81

$9.67 zł 37.93

18.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 zł 243

$46.77 zł 183

32.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 zł 40.40

$8.80 zł 34.50

17.05%

Cappuccino

$4.22 zł 16.54

$3.55 zł 13.93

18.87%

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

$2.21 zł 8.67

$2.80 zł 10.97

-21.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 zł 8.62

$2.72 zł 10.65

-19.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 zł 18.01

$4.65 zł 18.25

-1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 zł 19.65

$5.16 zł 20.25

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 zł 4.31

$0.98 zł 3.86

12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.76

$1.08 zł 4.23

36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.35

$1.34 zł 5.27

20.90%

Eggs

$3.92 zł 15.37

$3.47 zł 13.59

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 zł 35.62

$10.50 zł 41.19

-13.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 zł 25.06

$6.92 zł 27.14

-7.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 zł 56.9

$11.97 zł 46.96

21.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.60

$1.15 zł 4.50

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 zł 6.87

$1.67 zł 6.53

4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.90

$2.32 zł 9.10

-24.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 zł 16.02

$3.00 zł 11.76

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 zł 3.54

$0.78 zł 3.07

15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 zł 3.67

$0.93 zł 3.66

1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 zł 5.54

$1.40 zł 5.47

0.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 zł 2.76

$0.60 zł 2.35

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 zł 25.00

$5.80 zł 22.75

9.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 zł 25.40

$6.76 zł 26.51

-4.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 zł 4.55

$1.16 zł 4.53

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 zł 6.78

$1.75 zł 6.88

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 zł 4.56

$1.10 zł 4.31

5.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.24 zł 111

$52.1 zł 204

-45.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 zł 10.00

$1.54 zł 6.06

65.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 zł 4.95

$0.54 zł 2.11

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.94 zł 50.8

$9.35 zł 36.67

38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 zł 6.92

$1.61 zł 6.31

9.32%

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

$30.6K zł 120.1K

$30.4K zł 119.1K

0.87%

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

$30.5K zł 119.5K

$28.3K zł 110.9K

7.83%

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

$340 zł 1,335

$321 zł 1,258

6.17%

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

$9.07 zł 35.55

$8.43 zł 33.05

7.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.28 zł 63.9

$17.64 zł 69.2

-7.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.15 zł 185

$36.34 zł 143

29.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.50 zł 112

$17.84 zł 70.0

59.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 zł 35.35

$8.34 zł 32.70

8.03%

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

$599 zł 2,349

$511 zł 2,004

17.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K zł 56.2K

$10.2K zł 40.0K

40.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 zł 417

$73.4 zł 288

44.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.28 zł 154

$40.53 zł 159

-3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 zł 420

$90.7 zł 356

18.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 zł 437

$98.9 zł 388

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 zł 4,599

$599 zł 2,349

95.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$956 zł 3,748

$472 zł 1,849

102.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 zł 8,246

$1,096 zł 4,297

91.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 zł 6,112

$833 zł 3,265

87.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,040 zł 23.7K

$3,108 zł 12.2K

94.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,932 zł 15.4K

$2,352 zł 9,223

67.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,093 zł 8,210

$1,627 zł 6,382

28.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.87

-2.77%

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

Last update for Warsaw: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lodz: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Warsaw

$956 46.6%

Lodz

$472 31.6% 50.7% $484

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Warsaw

$366 17.8%

Lodz

$347 23.2% 5.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Warsaw

$235 11.5%

Lodz

$222 14.9% 5.8% $14

Eating Out

Warsaw

$224 10.9%

Lodz

$202 13.5% 9.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Warsaw

$164 8%

Lodz

$137 9.2% 16.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Warsaw

$65 3.2%

Lodz

$53 3.6% 18.6% $12

Getting Around

Warsaw

$42 2%

Lodz

$61 4.1% 45.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,173 in Warsaw and $599 in Lodz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Warsaw pays 29% 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: $62 in Warsaw vs $47 in Lodz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $222 per month, with Lodz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🇵🇱 Lodz

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

Same time as Warsaw

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,861,599 Capital

711,332

💱 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

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From you

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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

Warsaw vs Lodz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lodz wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Warsaw. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lodz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Warsaw, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,173 in Warsaw versus $599 in Lodz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Warsaw. 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 $62 in Warsaw. 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 work as nomad bases, but Lodz delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,492 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lodz hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Warsaw and Lodz 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, Warsaw on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.