Cost of living Warsaw, Poland for family of 2+1 (7 month baby)

Hi All,

Can anyone please advice on cost of living for a family of 2 adults & 1 infant?

Below are few pointers-

1) Planning to live in Warsaw city Near Swietokrzyska
2) planning to cook & occasional eat outs may be once or twice a month
3) no drinking & no pubs

Please advice. Thanks in advance.

@Aarav

I just answered a question similar to this yesterday and broke down the costs:

First is your total travel and relocation expenses: airline tickets, visas, residence permits, shipping and all other travel and relocation related expenses. Spread that out over your first years income, and that comes to 1000 to 1500 PLN a month right there, just so that the three of you can be in Poland.

A one-bedroom apartment is going to cost from 2200 to 2700 PLN a month, all inclusive except for TV/Phone/Internet, which will cost from 100 to 200 PLN a month extra.

Transit tickets for two adults will be around 200 a month.

Food and regular household supplies for three adults and a baby is going to cost from 1000 to 2000 a month. Less if you cook all meals at home from scratch using cheap local ingredients in season, more if you eat away from home, eat beef or lamb, or cook with more expensive foreigner ingredients or produce out of season. Baby food and baby formula are rather expensive.

You'll need to budget about 500 PLN a month for occasional expenses like furniture, bedclothes, clothing and the like.

And you'll have to budget about 1000 PLN a month for entertainment, recreation, hobbies, babysitting and a very basic vacation. The non-working individual will need some diversion from sitting at home all day and taking care of the kid. Otherwise, they are going to go stir-crazy, especially in winter.

So you're looking at at least 11,000 PLN a month gross right there, and that's without any saving or return trips to India. To live a good life, meaning with modest savings, you will need at least 16,000 PLN a month. More if you expect to take trips back to India.

Can my dependant work in Poland? If not are there any immigration or Job agencies who can help to get work permit?

Without a work permit? No.
Will she get a work permit? No.
Sorry.

@Aarav

Almost certainly not. If they cannot find a job with a Polish employer BEFORE they come to Poland, they will not get one after they come to Poland. And as far as "agencies" or "recruiters" or "consultants" go, any that promise to help you get a work permit for a fee are all frauds and scam artists that take advantage of ignorant, gullible and desperate poor people. The only demand for workers from India in Poland is for experienced qualified IT or finance/accounting professionals. There is zero demand for unskilled workers.

Coming to Poland from India with family members doesn't make any sense unless you are earning very high wages. Otherwise, it is better to come alone and leave the family back home in India. If you want to bring family along, then look for a job in countries that are richer than Poland, like the UK and Germany.

Who is this other dependent you are speaking of? It is extremely difficult to get a dependent visa for anyone except your wife and minor children.

@Aarav

Work permit is tied to a specific employer and job position. Therefore, one must have a job offer in order to obtain a work permit. Immigration layers/agencies can facilitate the paperwork but cannon magically get someone a work permit without a legit job offer that fulfills certain criteria. Big companies usually hire immigration lawyers/agencies for this kind of service, so there is no need for a prospective employee to hire one out of its own pocket. Smaller companies handle this through their own HR, since the whole paperwork is not that complex after all. Your dependent (wife?) may be able to get a family-reunion residence permit and move to Poland. She can get a work permit before or after she moves to Poland if she gets a job offer from an employer willing to go through the application process. Applications are assessed by the labor office. To get a positive opinion from the labor office, the employer must prove that he is unable to recruit Polish or other EU national with suitable qualifications for the job position. Hence, she cannot get a work permit to e.g. work as a cashier in a supermarket, but if she is a highly-qualified should not be a problem to get a positive opinion.

Thanks for reply

Another dependant person is my spouse & she works as a Administrator here in a company.

Is there any possibility for her to get a job?

Probably not. The only type of workers from India that are in demand in Poland are qualified professionals with several years experience in IT or finance/accounting, preferably with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods.

She can try to get a job BEFORE she comes to Poland. She will almost certainly not get one after she arrives in Poland.

Really, you should give up on coming to Poland and look for a job in a richer country like Germany or the UK. Earnings in Poland are way too low to support a family. Anything having to do with children is especially expensive, including babysitting, daycare, baby food, baby formula and baby clothes.

1. You will find the suburbs cheaper and nicer. The area you mentioned is one of the most expensive areas in the city. Public transport is clean, fast and cheap, so no need to live very near your work.

2. Groceries and eating out are not expensive in Warsaw.
3. This will certainly keep your expenses down.


Yes, however it helps if she is well qualified/experienced and/or has a skill that is in demand.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy settling in Poland.

My friend is living in Warsaw and she is currently going through a divorce, she has a 16 month old baby her soon to be ex is being very difficult, she has no entitlement to the family home so will need to find a place for her and baby. He just wants to know how much he has to pay her for the baby monthly. Can anyone tell me how much it costs per month for a 16month child, the Mum is Cuban not yet fluent in Polish

Atleast 6000pln a month in hand being a full time mom and a foreigner.

It depends on his income.

Depends on his income and what the court thinks. Usually a minimum of 500-600zł though, and as it's only a baby, they're unlikely to award ridiculous amounts as there's no private schools/kindergarten/etc to pay for.

She should start the bidding at 2000zł and accept no less than 1000zł.