Is it possible for a street musician to make a living in Warsaw?

Hi everyone my name is Alex, im from Los Angeles, CA and i will be arriving in Warsaw in a couple of days, im a street musician and also i play at bars, i wanted to make a living with this in Warsaw or a different city, also i was wondering if there are jobs for an english teacher there, i might looking for an apartment to rent and i dont know where to start, im on a very low buget.

if you wnt to hear my music type alex darkwell in youtube and you will find me :)

also you can add me on faceboofacebook.com/alex.darkwell.58

Er, right now in Warsaw it is 34 degrees Fahrenheit, it's snowing and it's pretty windy. Oh, and it's ten to four in the afternoon and pitch black outside. I really would suggest forgetting about the street musician line of work for a few months?


If you're qualified and experienced, there may be some classes opening up but mostly in the second semester (i.e. end of February).


Try Gumtree.pl. For a 300 sq foot apartment in the city centre (including bills), you're looking at US$500 absolute minimum and more likely $600 for something livable.

BTW, this is almost certainly the worst time of year to move to Poland; I would very very strongly suggest you delay your arrival here until at least April.

My pal lives on Miodowa (right in the Old Town) and he pays 1700 PLN for a 45 m2 apartment. Do not know if that is including bills, guess not. But still a good deal I think.

Definitely without bills, and maybe not including czynsz. If so, it's not such a good deal.


There are a lot better places to try your luck than Poland. You're going to run up against a tremendous amount of competition here, both in music and in teaching. Highly unlikely that you will be able to "make a living" at it.

Last time I was there in downtown Wroclaw a year ago, up until that time there had been a guy singing show tunes for at least three years. He was awful, but well groomed, so I imagine he made some cash.

You can find cheaper lodging than what is advertised, i.e. word-of-mouth. If you find someone with a private residence that rents out some rooms in a partition of the house out back, you can get something nice for cheap. My in-laws charge about $300 a month, and in St. Louis where I live, that level of quality would go for $600 a month, in LA probably an additional third or more.

I saw your youtube, and you sing pretty well... well enough imo to make your idea seem like it's not half-bad practically, and then you can get out of that LA grind, right.

That's Phillip. He's been here for at least seven years. And he's out there every day, summer and winter, rain or shine.

He is, or was, somehow involved with the English radio station in Wrocław, called Radio WrocLove, and, I think, with the English language paper, as well.

Basically, I gather that he's out there singing more because he loves to sing than because of the money he makes. I remember waiting for a friend at pręgierz once and watching him sing in front of Feniks for more than an hour. A few people went up and talked to him, but no one put any money in the hat. I don't think his singing pays all his bills, but he seems to love it.

Overall, in Wrocław I've observed a big drop in the number of buskers and other street entertainers over the past few years. The only ones I remember seeing this year were that pesky Gypsy band, and a few down and out college students who can't play or sing worth a damn, and usually hang out in the pedestrian underpass on Świdnicka. And Phillip, of course.

Related: Rules and laws for Street Artists in Poland?


General rule is to get authority permission for public places, or regular permit from owner for private object.