Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Warsaw and Szczecin

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,343 a month against $2,032 in Warsaw, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
Learn more

Warsaw Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
Learn more

Szczecin Living Index

Jump to prices

Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,032

/mo nomad

Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Warsaw and in Szczecin

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 Szczecin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,032 in Warsaw versus $1,343 in Szczecin.

Warsaw $2,032
Szczecin $1,343

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,918 in Warsaw versus $1,997 in Szczecin.

Warsaw $2,918
Szczecin $1,997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,804 in Warsaw versus $2,651 in Szczecin.

Warsaw $3,804
Szczecin $2,651

Living in Warsaw is roughly 51% more expensive than in Szczecin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Warsaw is 50% above, Szczecin is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 zł 44.72

$9.13 zł 35.49

26.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 zł 236

$45.70 zł 178

32.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 zł 38.87

$8.22 zł 31.94

21.65%

Cappuccino

$4.17 zł 16.22

$2.96 zł 11.50

40.88%

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

$2.27 zł 8.81

$1.86 zł 7.22

22.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 zł 8.61

$1.39 zł 5.42

58.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 zł 17.87

$3.01 zł 11.70

52.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 zł 19.47

$2.97 zł 11.53

68.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 zł 4.07

$0.92 zł 3.56

14.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 zł 5.90

$1.29 zł 5.01

17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.10 zł 4.27

40.00%

Eggs

$3.76 zł 14.60

$3.35 zł 13.02

12.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 zł 33.22

$9.32 zł 36.22

-8.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 zł 24.43

$6.43 zł 24.99

-2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 zł 56.5

$12.89 zł 50.1

12.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.55

$0.89 zł 3.46

31.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 zł 6.73

$1.67 zł 6.50

3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 zł 6.66

$1.52 zł 5.90

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 zł 15.71

$2.32 zł 9.03

74.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.53

$0.84 zł 3.28

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.34

$1.04 zł 4.04

-17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 zł 5.39

$1.10 zł 4.27

26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.67

$0.56 zł 2.17

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.19 zł 24.04

$5.26 zł 20.43

17.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.46 zł 25.10

$6.19 zł 24.05

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 zł 4.28

$1.06 zł 4.13

3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.35

$1.47 zł 5.71

10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 zł 4.31

$0.78 zł 3.04

42.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.52 zł 111

$25.46 zł 98.9

12.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 zł 9.58

$1.98 zł 7.70

24.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 zł 5.08

$0.87 zł 3.40

50.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.87 zł 50.0

$12.65 zł 49.15

1.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 zł 6.80

$1.64 zł 6.37

6.71%

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

$30.7K zł 119.4K

$30.0K zł 116.6K

2.38%

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

$30.8K zł 119.5K

$27.9K zł 108.5K

10.08%

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

$341 zł 1,324

$241 zł 937

41.41%

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

$9.00 zł 34.95

$12.23 zł 47.52

-26.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.19 zł 62.9

$19.03 zł 73.9

-14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.81 zł 178

$30.45 zł 118

50.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.81 zł 108

$50.3 zł 196

-44.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 zł 35.12

$6.26 zł 24.32

44.41%

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

$594 zł 2,306

$335 zł 1,301

77.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K zł 55.6K

$7,493 zł 29.1K

91.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 zł 424

$69.1 zł 268

57.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 zł 156

$35.31 zł 137

13.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 zł 405

$79.7 zł 310

30.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 zł 431

$90.6 zł 352

22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 zł 4,587

$602 zł 2,339

96.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 zł 3,659

$495 zł 1,922

90.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 zł 8,056

$1,136 zł 4,415

82.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 zł 5,958

$834 zł 3,240

83.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,932 zł 23.0K

$3,284 zł 12.8K

80.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 zł 14.9K

$2,343 zł 9,102

63.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,049 zł 7,959

$1,556 zł 6,046

31.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.82

-2.05%

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

Last update for Warsaw: October 10, 2026

Last update for Szczecin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Warsaw

$942 46.4%

Szczecin

$495 36.8% 47.5% $447

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Warsaw

$366 18%

Szczecin

$272 20.3% 25.6% $94

Groceries & Markets

Warsaw

$231 11.4%

Szczecin

$207 15.4% 10.2% $24

Eating Out

Warsaw

$223 11%

Szczecin

$167 12.5% 25% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Warsaw

$164 8.1%

Szczecin

$124 9.2% 24.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Warsaw

$64 3.1%

Szczecin

$43 3.2% 32.8% $21

Getting Around

Warsaw

$42 2.1%

Szczecin

$35 2.6% 16.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,181 in Warsaw and $602 in Szczecin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Warsaw pays 32% 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: $61.0 in Warsaw vs $46.00 in Szczecin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $207 per month, with Szczecin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

Same time as Warsaw

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,861,599 Capital

387,700

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Warsaw Szczecin 450 km

From you

Warsaw
Szczecin

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

Warsaw vs Szczecin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szczecin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% 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: $1,181 in Warsaw versus $602 in Szczecin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,032 per month in Warsaw versus $1,343 in Szczecin – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szczecin runs roughly 12% less than in Warsaw. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,343 in Szczecin versus $2,032 in Warsaw, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szczecin but tight or insufficient in Warsaw. The gap between the two cities makes Szczecin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Szczecin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Warsaw, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Warsaw and Szczecin 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 Szczecin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Warsaw. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.