Cost of Living in Poland

Rent in Poland

GUS, Statistics Poland, does not publish a national average rent in zloty. It measures rents as a price index. On the harmonised measure used across the EU, rents paid by tenants in Poland were 3.6% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, against 2.9% in the EU. Buying is getting dearer faster: GUS puts dwelling prices in the second quarter of 2026 6.3% above a year earlier, with new-build homes up 6.5% and resale homes up 6.1%.

Housing remains cheap by EU standards. Eurostat puts the Polish price level for housing, water, electricity and gas at 52.2 in 2025, where the EU average is 100, the lowest of the main categories. The share of people whose housing costs exceed 40% of disposable income fell to 4.1% in 2025, from 5.2% a year before, against 7.6% in the EU. Among people below the poverty threshold it was 21.9%.

Consumer prices and inflation

Consumer prices were 3.5% higher in October 2026 than a year earlier, according to the GUS flash estimate, and 0.4% lower than in September. In September the rate was 4.1%, with services up 5.3% and goods up 3.6%. On the harmonised measure for September, transport rose 8.9%, electricity, gas and other fuels 6.4% and restaurants and hotels 4.1%, while food was 0.3% cheaper than a year earlier.

Eurostat puts the Polish price level for household consumption at 71.1 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. That means prices about 28.9% below the EU average, though the gap has narrowed from 65.4 in 2023. Food is at 89.5 and transport at 81.3. Clothing and footwear, at 101.6, cost slightly more than the EU average.

What households spend

Polish households spent an average of PLN 2,015 per person a month in 2025, according to the GUS household budget survey, 7.3% more than in 2024, or 3.6% after inflation. Disposable income per person was PLN 3,500 a month, up 10.5%, so spending took 57.6% of income, down from 59.3%. Households of the self-employed outside farming had the highest figures, with PLN 4,198 of income and PLN 2,270 of spending per person. The amounts are per person, not per household.

Transport

Poland has no national flat-rate transport pass, and city fares are set locally. In Warsaw, a personal 30-day ticket costs PLN 110 for zone 1 and PLN 180 for zones 1 and 2. In Krakow, the monthly network ticket for residents holding the Karta Krakowska costs PLN 99 for zone I. These are city figures.

Energy and local costs

Households using 2,500 to 4,999 kWh a year paid about PLN 1.27 per kWh for electricity in the first half of 2026, all taxes included, according to provisional Eurostat data. In euros that is 5.9% above the EU average, after Polish prices sat below it through 2025. Municipal fees vary by city. In Warsaw, the waste collection fee for a household in an apartment building is PLN 85 a month, a city figure.

What it means for pay and hiring

The average wage in the Polish national economy was PLN 8,903.56 gross a month in 2025, about 4.4 times average spending per person. The minimum wage is PLN 4,806 gross a month in 2026, about 2.4 times that spending. A Warsaw zone 1 monthly ticket takes about 2.3% of the minimum wage. See average salary in Poland, Poland minimum wage and our city guides to the cost of living in Warsaw and the cost of living in Krakow. Hiring tech staff? Read how to hire developers in Poland.

Employers also pay 20.48% in social contributions on top of gross pay in 2026, as our guide to hiring in Poland explains. Hiring in Poland? We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299. See how placement works or browse remote jobs in Poland.