Salary for a senior software engineer in Poland

@terri & @DominicB Thanks for the really useful reply. Yes I will now be able to negotiate better with HR.

Pooja Sharma - 12-14K pln net is a salary. Please note costs in Warsaw for accommodation can come out around 25-30% higher than other cities. This salary in Poland outside Warsaw is for a senior management role - department manager, factory manager or a skilled engineer / developer with niche skills at the highest point of their career perhaps working in banking or finance. To have the same standard of living in the UK or Germany as you would have in Poland on this salary, you would need to earn around 70-100,000 euro gross annual. It's 10 times the minimum wage and 5 times the average wage in Poland.

Sorta true, except for Wrocław and Kraków, which are just a smidgen less expensive than Warsaw, if at all. I was just talking to a friend who moved back to Wrocław from Warsaw, and he was shocked by how high prices were. Essentially the same as in Warsaw.


Agree. Even in Warsaw, it would be phenomenal for a late-junior to early mid-career staff analyst, unless they possess skills and experience that are truly desperately in demand. 20 k is more in line, as you say, with senior management.

DominicB - I agree about salaries. I have come across some developers working at rates equivalent to 20KPLn monthly but they are extremely exceptional individuals and they're working with high end clients.

I find prices in Wroclaw and Krakow on the whole 25%-30% cheaper than Warsaw when comparing like for like - proximity to the centre, neighbourhood, facilities on the estate, type of apartment etc. And I think I'm being generous here.

otodom.pl/oferta/dom-otwarty-01-10-2016-r-ID2SU5h.html#77c2e96c32 - this house is on sale for 1,190,000 in a decent-ish area in Wroclaw. Try getting anywhere near that price for a 783m2 decent house 5.5km from the centre in Warsaw in a decent area. If you could I'd snap it up tomorrow and give you stack of cash in commission. ;) You would easily have to double that price.

P.S. house is 223 m² and land 783 m². Still very big and a very decent house.

Hi Friends,

I have been going through the thread and would like to put my query here, My Name is Karthik, I am planning to move to Poland for new job in Katowice. As a part of Salary Negotiation, How much I can ask the employer to live a decent life in Poland. my current gross monthly pay in India after converting to Poland currency is around 12000 Zloty, I have around 10 years of experience and the position being offered is Technical SME, we are currently 2 persons, How much Pay can I negotiate considering all the deductions say taxes, insurance etc.,

Thanks in advance
Karthik

@kp62103

If you're making 12K in India, you will probably need to make 20K or more in Poland to lead a similar lifestyle. The cost of living for you and your wife will be substantially more than in India, where you now enjoy a home court advantage, and substantially more than a Polish couple, who know how to live more cheaply in their own country and have an extensive network of friends and family. Then you have to take the cost of your relocation into account: travel, visas and residence permits, including the cost of trips back home to India.

Generally, it makes little sense for Indians to come to Poland when there are so many better opportunities in richer countries. I would concentrate on exploring those options, and use my network of real-life contacts rather than internet sites and recruiters. The best jobs are advertised almost entirely by word of mouth, and the internet and recruiters get the table scraps.

Hi Dominic,

Thanks for your time and Response in addressing my query, I am expecting somewhere around 15-18K the employer would be arriving. How about the place Katowice, I have not heard someone discussing about this city in the previous discussions. Based on my discussion with the employer, I need to bear the expenses towards the work permit visa processing expenses. is it OK to take the opportunity.

Thanks in advance
Karthik

@kp62103

Because of the higher cost of living in Poland, especially for foreigners, and the fact that you have to pay for your own relocation, 15K would effectively be less than you are making in India, and 18K would be approximately the same as you are earning in India. In either case, there would be no point of moving to Poland.

There is lots about Katowice on this forum. It is considered the least attractive of the large cities in Poland. Most people consider it a gray, depressing and ugly industrial town with little charm, especially in the winter. Personally, I agree. About the only good thing about Katowice is that the cost of living is a little lower than in Warsaw, Kraków or Wrocław. But, in my opinion, doesn't make up for the lower quality of living, especially for your wife.

Like I said above, Poland is not an attractive place for Indians to work, except perhaps extremely experienced senior managers, administrators and consultants who can command extremely high wages. There is no "Indian Community" here like in London, Chicago or Sydney, for example. English is not widely spoken, especially by older and less educated Poles. It's more difficult and more expensive to live if you don't speak Polish. You can end up feeling socially isolated and excluded, especially your wife. Winter can be very depressing for people from warmer climes. Concentrate your efforts on finding a job in a richer country where savings potential is much higher and the quality of life is better than in Poland. And, like I said, rely on word of mouth rather than recruiters or the internet.

Hi All,
I m an Indian banking professional with over 12 yrs of experience. I m currently drawing a salary which is approx. 5000 PLN net. I have an offer in hand where in employer is offering a salary of 10000 PLN Gross in Warsaw. Pls advice if on the below queries:

1. Is it advisable to move to Poland for 10000 PLN Gross, where net will be 7000 PLN & I m already drawing 5000PLN in India.
2. What be a good salary to ask from the employer considering my current salary & experience?
3. I m married with a baby who would soon be starting schooling.
4. What would be the average expense of a small family in Warsaw.
5. What is the cost of schooling in Warsaw?
6. If there are bi-annual trips back to India with my family, will I be able to save anything?
Thanks & Regards.
Z. Sheikh

Obviously not. With the difference in the cost of living and relocation costs taken in, you would be earning less than you are in India, especially if you are bringing a wife and kid along. Anything having to do with children is very expensive in Poland. Forget about trips back to India twice a year, and about savings. Your savings are higher in India right now than they would be in Poland. There would be no point in transferring to Poland.

It all depends on what you think of India and Poland.

I think its totaly waste time for you just 30-40 m2 flats are 1500-2000 zloty excluding bills....

Thanks DominicB for your prompt reply..

What be a good salary to ask from the employer considering my current salary & experience?

@zids82

For your level of experience and the lifestyle you describe, wife, kid who needs to be put in school, traveling back to India twice a year, and saving a substantial amount of money, you will need 20 to 25 K PLN gross to make the move worth while. That's not likely going to happen unless you have some senior managerial or administrative experience. At 10 K gross, you will actually be earning less than you do in India.

I advise you to try to find a job in a richer western European or English speaking country, where wages are double or more what they are in Poland. Don't rely on recruiters or internet sites, but use your network of real-world contacts to find a job. The best jobs are advertised solely by word of mouth, and never through recruiters or internet sites.

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all doing great! I have recently been offered a Software Engineer job at Poznan Poland. I'm an individual with 5 years of professional experience in Software Industry and currently make around 3500 zloty in my home country which is good enough to live handsomely.

The employer advertised the job for 9000-10,000 zloty job opportunity but for obvious negotiation reasons, they are quoting a lower amount.

I'm a single male. I don't drink or smoke. I prefer good quality healthy food and good medical care. I have dust & pollen allergy issues.

Anyways my questions are:

1. Is 7.5K to 8K zloty gross/month good enough to live handsomely in Poznan, Poland?
2. How much a Studio Apartment costs?
3. What is the usual cost of electricity, water, gas, heat, internet, mobile bills per month?
4. What are the travelling costs for in city travels?
5. What other costs are there that I should be aware of?

Please please please someone guide me quick so that I can confirm the salary amount with my employer.

Best Regards

@DominicB Please please please provide your valuable feedback to my question.

These answers are eveywhere on this forum already 100 times over.

@Marsupial thanks for the comment. I have gone through the entire thread but I couldn't find anything that's related to working in Poznan or expense in Poznan. That's why I asked the question

Poznań isn't different from other big cities in PL. Flat cost is 2000 pcm.

Do you want to pi$$ off a Pole? Then ask if 7.5K to 8K zloty gross/month good enough to live in Poland while they earn 2k gross:)

@peter_olsztyn I'm sorry to hear this. I know the wage system is often unfair to the masses.

Does this flat have 1 room, bathroom & kitchen? I don't want anything bigger since I'm a single person & a studio apartment is good enough for me.

Can you please tell me if there is DUST/POLLEN problem in Poznan? I'm extremly allergic to DUST and pollen.

Can you please provide some info regarding other questions i asked in my original post please?

yup


Pollen problem is in a whole Poland.

electricity 90, internet 60 pcm, bus, tram ticket 3zl

In summer, yes. Antihistamines and other meds for pollen are cheap though.

Yes Poland has trees, you may find this strange. So aliens don't do well.

Plenty of people who've lived here all their life have problems with pollen. Have you ever visited Poland?

@everyone thanks so much for your valuable feedback! I really appreciate it.

I'm extremely allergic to dust and pollen.

Is the medical insurance covered in the taxes deducted from salary? Does this medical insurance provide treatment for allergy, may be allergy immune shots or something?

With the 7.5k-8K zloty gross for a single person, how much would I be saving at the end of each month?

I have never been to poland.

Again I really appreciate your feedback!

Jon 357 are you feeling ok have i visited? That's funny. No one i know has problems.

@fappper
You'll be paying ZUS, state health insurance and this covers your needs. You'll also (and you need to check this) probably have private cover. Doctors here are very used to dealing with allergies.


Depends on how you live. Certainly you'll be able to save some.

I don't know if it changed but ZUS did not used to cover allergy shots. I also have a strong pollen allergy and when I first came to Poland it was set off by a special kind of lime tree that generates very high amounts of pollen in May and June - it is in most urban areas in Poland and can be extremely uncomfortable until you get used to it after a few years.

Because none of you are Polish. As i kid i played in every forest tree so on. I could smear pollen on my face and never notice. Aliens.

It would be nice if the current generation of Polish kids were brought up that way.

I've read one figure that suggests the "range" of Polish children went from 6km to 1km within a generation. Frightening.