Polish woman living in England is moving back to Poland. How much money do I need?

I wouldn't call living on 2000 with 2 kids good - more like basic.
You will probably spend 1200-1500 on groceries, then 300 on utilities, that only leaves 200 - 500 on clothes, books, holidays and any occasional expenditure.
That's basic, not good...

would i spend that amount on food for me and two children in a small city

no definitely not I believe you should be alright with less then 1000 per month if you buy cheaper stuff, buy in Biedronka or similar place for the most part

i have budget 900 zl for food a month. 500ZL for gas for car. 300zl for internet and bills. and 400 zl for stuff for my kids

would this be ok. i am going to small city

so then you are going to need the public preschool. You will not be able to afford a private one. It should be enough but I have never lived in a small city in Poland. Only Warsaw.

Worth pointing out that the waiting lists for public ones can be very long - the one that's part of my company was full (for this year) as early as October last year.

how much is private pre skool

very basic and not good at all.

Bear in mind that Warsaw is expensive. In the countryside things can be much, much cheaper.

yes and also i no rent to pay and i have car

I don't know if that's a small town or rural - if you are thinking of a Polish city then 2000zl is the minimum including rent and that too will not be easy.

Are you really from Poland originally?

it is a small city not big and no rent to pay or transport as i bought car

A right-hand drive UK car? Can you register that car to Poland? If not, do you not have to take it back to the UK once a year for an MOT and pay road tax on it even while it's in Poland?

No rent to pay, that's pretty lucky.

its polish car i drive this car when i was young before i move to england i never sold . my father died and he left me flat

Obviously, no rent makes a big difference, so you have a much better chance of managing on a lower amount - if inflation does not take hold in Poland again. I am seeing price rises on some items - bread, dairy, energy, petrol, to name a few.

what is total amount you think i can live with 2 kids food, clothes, medical supplies, and not much gas for car

per month please

It will depend how you all live. You can start checking food prices by going to Tesco's new online groceries site ezakupy.tesco.pl and calculate a typical month and add 5% as an inflation contingency for 2012.

You can keep your energy bills down by using low energy bulbs, keep an eye on water usage, that sort of thing.

Clothes are cheaper in the UK, but here in Poland I do sometimes go to the secondhand shops for clothing - it's my dirty secret.

I use public transport - not easy as I am used to a car door to door in the UK. But I notice petrol is up in price here.

One of your biggest outlays in your whole life is where you food shop - so over a year it makes a huge difference to your pocket if you shop around, as long as that shopping around does not cost petrol. Each of the major supermarkets has good, cheap things but not one of them has good and cheap everything. I find my vegetarian products are cheapest at Auchan and a local small chain, cooked chicken is cheapest at Carrefour's deli, potatoes are cheapest (usually) at the market or Biedronka (as is cottage cheese) - you get the idea. A lot of the time I just go to a local Spolem or whatever it's called - not that much more expensive on some items and I save time. If I was working in Poland, I would not shop around as much as I do because it would interfere with my leisure time and working life.

thank you so very much for help me. i think i will be ok

Proszę bardzo

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Interesting one 'polish girl 12' you originate from Kalisz and spent the last 9 years in the UK, you do not know the cost of life in Poland circa 2012, you must be the only one person of Polish decent who has no knowledge of current life in Poland.

1. Every single Pole returning to Poland knows their child will get preferential treatment for entrance to schools or pre-schools.
2. Secondly if you have a flat from your father you are aware of the related costs as you are paying them on a monthly basis.

No disrespect if I am wrong, but me thinks you are just another unhappy failure of your time in Poland or unhappy relationship, I would guess you are an American or Irish male...

I have been living in england for 9 year and before i travel for 2 year. I visited home just once in that time. costs i pay are minimum and will change when I be there.

I work in england and do not plan to work in poland . i know little prices but not to live there. i have distant family but do not talk regularly .i want other peoples opinion and help. if u do not wish to help then do not


thank this has been help to me :)

You do not mix within the Polish community in the UK?

You do not have Polish friends in the UK?


It does not work that way Polish Girl 12, if you have a flat in Poland you are obliged to pay the monthly payments otherwise you will have a bit of explaining to do when you return to Kalisz.

i mailed cousin for information waiting patient for reply.

No polish friends just one who lived in england more of her life. I was with english man who i meet when i travelled me not together anymore he left me

I have this for you from my colleague who lives near Kalisz.

First of all: you're not going through NFZ. Consultation fees up to 150zł, medicines for kids a single prescription up to 50zł
Second: you'll need to pay for private pre-schools. Expect anything from 400zł to 700zł a month
Third: Insurance for your car. Don't know what you have- it could be from 345zł to over 2000zł a year
Forth: Utilities. Depending on how big your flat is (Lord forbid you won't live in a coal heated flat) anything from 300zł to 1000zł. Ps: this excludes internet, phone and television.

Fifth: Your food and clothes. 2000zł to 2500zł
Sixth: Petrol. If it's for commuting in Kalisz only 300zł should be fine.
You should be fine with 3500zł to 4000zł a month.

Then make sure u get back here early to register your other child for school if you want him to go to a school in your neighbourhood.

Powodzenia.

you are good person thank you for your help. I get things sorted soon quick.

that's just weird thoughts......
she sounds genuine enough, who are we to doubt her?

[quote=rozumiemnic]that's just weird thoughts......
she sounds genuine enough, who are we to doubt her?[/quot

Not weird in any way at all, as I mentioned in the same post my intention was not to offend. The jury is still out for me on Polish Girl 12, she may be genuine, she may be NOT.

milky: Either what you are sayiing is a joke and irony, or you are completely not aware how life and earnings in Poland look like.

Poland for sure has its good sides, but not when it comes about job market. If somebody has already some savings and is planning to come to Poland, lucky him, but if you were to be the only breadwinner with children without any money at the start, it will be very hard to make ends meet.

I am a university graduate, and I am ashamed when I am to confess how much do I earn after 3 years experience in my work. "Milky" - tell me where I can earn at least 2500zł, I would be glat to be giving such information?. I will quit my present work at once.

The life is getting more and more difficult here when it comes about make ends meet as the prices are increasing and solaries were rised just a bit (minimal salary increased from 1384 up to 1500zł - brutto, so you get around 1150zł netto). If you are on your own, you even can't rent a flat. A lot of my friends who came to study to the other city with no family and had to rent a flat as a student, still share a flat after completing university as they are not able to rent it on their own, as the min.cost of the one room flat is around 1000zł/month.

Polish girl - Think, for how long your saving will last, as later finding job here is another story, often frustrating.

Be a cleaner in Warsaw. Mine earns 80zl for what on average takes her about three and a half hours. She works about 40 hours a week and I doubt she pays much in the way of tax (I have never asked), so I guess she'll be netting in the region of 3200zl per month, which would be about 4,000zl if it was taxable income.

mine too. She makes 150 pln from us and I imagine she makes about 100 from her other clients. x5 or 6 days a week. my cleaning lady pulls in about 2,400 per month- if not more.